Emily's Diary
by rika08
Summary: A series of events documented by Emily. takes place after s4e7 but before s5e1. Be prepared for mind numbingness. Definately better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

Matt climbed the stairs to his flat. He stepped onto the landing and looked around. He expected to see Emily somewhere in the flat, but she wasn't. The apartment was silent as he walked toward the kitchen counter. Matt frowned and pulled his coat off. He set it across the counter beside his black boxes. He pulled the box off his hip and set it with the other's.

"Emily?" Matt called.

In the distance, he heard a strangled cough from the washroom. "In here."

Matt walked around the counter. He walked down the hall toward the washroom. The door was open and light was on. Matt peeked through the opening before he entered. Emily was sitting on the floor, leaning against the sink. Her knees were draw up near her chest. Her head leaned back against the lower sink cabinet, looking up at the ceiling. Her skin was pale and glistened in sweat. She turned her head as Matt entered the room.

Matt knelt down beside her. "I gather you're not feelin' any better."

Emily replied with a small smile.

Matt reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "Have you managed to eat anythin' today?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" came her reply.

"How long has it been?" he asked.

"A few hours." Emily answered.

"I think you're safe to leave." Matt gently eased his arm behind Emily. Emily grabbed his arm for support. He moved slowly, lifting Emily to her feet. Emily held onto his arm as she rose from the floor. Emily closed her eyes as she stood, holding her head.

"Emily?"

Emily released her head. "I'm fine. Just a dizzy spell. Probably from sitting down for so long."

"You think you can walk?" Matt asked.

Emily nodded. "Of course."

"Okay. Let's get you to bed." Matt said.

Emily said nothing, but allowed Matt to help her out of the washroom. She cursed herself internally for allowing him to see her in a weakened state. She had managed to hide her discomfort from Matthew for nearly a week. But after he'd heard her the previous morning, Matt was now aware of her discomfort.

Matt helped her down to small hall into the room Emily stayed in. He walked her to the bed and released her waist. He helped Emily onto the bed and knelt beside her. He placed the back of his hand over Emily's forehead, feeling her body temperature.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked.

"Just checking if you had a fever. And you don't." Matt said. He lowered his hand.

"Isn't that good though?" Emily asked.

Matt shook his head. "It just makes it difficult to determine what you have. Without a fever, I'd guess it isn't the flu."

"Perhaps it was something I've eaten?" Emily suggested.

Matt nodded. "It's possible. Food poisoning is fast to attack and can last for a few days. Maybe you should see a doctor though."

"No." Emily said. "There's no need. If it's food poisoning, I should be fine by tomorrow."

Matt watched Emily closely. "Okay, but if you're still feeling poorly tomorrow, you are seeing a doctor. No arguments."

"Fair enough." Emily agreed.

"Good. I'll fix something easy for your stomach if you think you can eat something." Matt offered.

"Perhaps just tea." Emily said.

Matt smirked. "Alright then." He rose from the floor and walked out of the bedroom.

Emily watched Matt leave the room. She waited until she heard him in the kitchen before she moved. She reached in between the two sections of the bed and pulled out an old leather bound book. The cover was worn and damaged from its journey with Emily. Its face bore a large gash from a tree creepers attack. Emily opened the book to her place and lifted the pen she'd borrowed from Matt, which she used to mark her place in her book. Emily set the book on the bed in front of her and began writing. Emily paused a moment. She arched her head, causing both her back and head to ache. She leaned back, satisfied Matt was still occupied in the kitchen. When she was satisfied with her entry, Emily closed her journal and slipped it beneath the mattresses of the bed.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_June third, two thousand and eleven._

_To my deepest distain, by physical discomfort has yet to cease. My back prevents me from enjoying any position be it standing or sitting. My skull throbs as if a Tree Creeper is running its claws down my head. I have managed to hide my discomfort from Matt for nearly two weeks; however, my condition was revealed the previous morn. I was stricken suddenly with a most unpleasant stomach illness that caused me retched in the early hours._

_At first, I believed my symptoms were brought on by my own bodies unaccustomed immunity to this time, however as my condition appears to worsen, I wonder if my assumption is correct. I wonder if there is not something else happening._

_I fear that whatever I am experiencing is not merely my minuscule immunity strength, but more. And if I am correct, I fear that it will test both myself and Matthew, and I fear for Matthew. His work with the gateways and creatures has never been simply, nor easy on his mind. And with the recent passing of his father, I fear his emotional uneasiness most of all. I pray that my fears are silly and unnecessary, but only time will tell._

* * *

><p>okay so here's how the layout goes, at the end of every chapter is an entry from Emily's Diary. please note, the chapters will get BIGGER!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Emily woke slowly with the warmth of the sun on her back. She glanced over her shoulder at the rising sun before she closed her eyes again. She sighed and tried to settle herself back asleep. But before Emily could slip back into sleep, her stomach churned uneasily. She winced and placed her hand over her stomach. The pain increased and started rising from her stomach. Emily tossed the blankets from her body and rose from the bed. She moved quickly down the small hallway, but quietly. She pushed open the washroom door and turned on the light. Emily dropped to her nears and retched. Her throat burned as the rancid bile was expelled from her body. She coughed bitterly as her retching ceased. Her mouth was curse with the vile aftertaste. Emily inhaled deeply, waiting incase another urge overcame her. She heard the door creak beside her. Emily turned her head slightly. Matt was leaning in the doorway.

Matt pushed himself off the doorway and knelt beside her. He brushed several strand of hair behind her ear. He sighed lightly. "I'm calling the doctor."

Emily nodded slowly. The combination of her nausea, headache, and fatigue was too much for her to contemplate resisting Matt's remark.

"Let's get you back to bed." Matt said. He placed his arm beneath Emily's back and gently lifted her.

Emily pushed off the floor and rose with Matt's aid. She closed her eyes as the washroom started spinning again. She felt Matt's arm tightened around her waist protectively. He lifted her off the ground, taking her full weight in his arms. Emily leaned her head against Matt's shoulder, wrapping her arm around his back. Matt carefully walked out of the washroom, back into the bedroom. He eased Emily back onto the bed. Emily fell gently into the mattress. She moaned in fatigue as she laid on the mattress.

Matt gently brushed her hair from her face and rose. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. He walked to the faucet and partially filled the glass with water. Matt walked back into the bedroom and paused in the hallway. Emily had fallen back asleep. Matt smiled lightly. He walked to the bedside and set the cup down before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Emily sat beside Matt in the waiting room of a doctor's clinic. Matt was engrossed in a dated booklet from the small coffee table beside him. Emily glanced around the clinic nervously. It had been years since she had seen a doctor, even from her time, but here it was different. Matt had explained how medicine had advanced from her time, hoping to reassure her, but Emily still found herself riddled with nervousness. Thankfully though, her nausea hadn't returned since the morning.<p>

"Emily Anderson?" called a nurse.

Matt dropped the magazine and turned to Emily. "That's us."

The only way Matt had been able to arrange an appointment was to forge the documents that she was his wife. Since she didn't official exists in this time yet.

Emily rose from her chair and pulled down her sage top. It was one of many she was continuously borrowing from Jessica and Abby. This one was from Jess. Sage green with short lace sleeves. A small gather of fabric hung around her neck. The pants were borrowed as well, Abby's though. Long dark material with slim legs. The only article on her that wasn't borrowed were her boots.

Matt lead Emily from their seats toward the nurse. The nurse smiled at them and directed them toward the hallway.

"This way." She said.

Matt placed his hand on the small of Emily's back, giving her a gently push forward. Emily followed the young nurse down the hallway. She felt somewhat relaxed with Matt giving her the incentive to go.

The nurse led them into a small room. Emily walked through first with Matt behind her. Matt motioned for her to sit on an elevated table. Emily seated herself on the table. She looked down at her hands laid in her lap. The door closed behind the nurse as she seated herself across from Emily.

"Okay, Mrs. Anderson, what seems to be ailing you?" the nursed asked.

Emily swallowed. "Well, for the past few days I've dealt with severe nausea. At first, I thought nothing of it, believing it was food poisoning or something along those lines."

The nursed nodded. "How long since you first started feeling nauseous?"

"Three days." Emily answered.

The nurse wrote a few sentences on the file she was looking at. "And your husband mentioned the lack of a fever."

"Yeah." Matt said.

The nurse nodded and continued writing. "Are there any other symptoms you've been experiencing?"

Emily winced. She'd hopped she could refrain from the question, or at least answer in the secrecy of the doctor without Matt's presence. Emily bit her lip. "Yes." She could feel Matt's eyes on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

The nurse looked up and nodded. "And what are they?"

"Um…headaches, backaches, weariness, and a few dizzy spells." Emily explained. She played with her hands nervously, avoiding Matt's gaze.

The nurse nodded again and turned to her file. She wrote quickly and looked up. "And how long have you been having them?"

"About a week." Emily answered.

"Okay. Well, I'll go find the doctor and hopefully we can have you feeling better soon." The nurse said.

Emily smiled at the nurse. The nurse rose from her seat and walked out of the exam room, leaving Matt and Emily in silence. Emily stared at her hands in her lap. She could still feel Matt's gaze on her.

"I think you forgot to mention something." Matt said.

"I thought the gateways were more important than my physical ailments." Emily answered.

Before Matt could respond. The door opened again. The doctor stepped into the room carrying the file the nurse had walked out with. He smiled at Matt and Emily before taking his seat.

"Well Mrs. Anderson, the nurse has informed me of your symptoms." He said. He looked at the file.

"Do you have an idea what she has?" Matt asked.

The doctor nodded. "I have a few theories. The symptoms your wife is describing, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, they all sound like the onset of pregnancy."

Emily felt her lips part in astonishment. She swallowed nervously and closed her mouth quickly. She could sense Matt tense against the wall behind her. This had been the furthest possibility from her mind, it never occurred to her. Emily tried to hide the surprise form her eyes before the doctor looked at her.

The doctor turned his head back to Emily. "Have you taken a home test?"

Emily wasn't entirely sure what he was implying, but she knew she hadn't taken anything to determine her illness. She shook her head. "No."

The doctor nodded. "Well, we can run a blood test and check for pregnancy among other possibilities."

Emily nodded slowly. "How much time would that take?"

"Only a few minutes. However the results may not be back until tomorrow at the latest." He explained. "Would you like us to run the test?"

"Yes." Matt answered quickly.

The doctor nodded. "Alright. I'll direct you to the exam room."

Emily rose from the table and followed the doctor out of the room. She felt Matt close behind her, still tense. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, fearing what she would see in his eyes. Though it wasn't confirmed, the thought of being with child was just as concerning, if not more, to her as well.

The doctor led them to an open section of the hallway. There as a chair protruding from the wall accompanied by several connected tables. He held out his arm, gesturing for Emily to sit down. Emily seated herself in the chair. The doctor gently took her arm and set it on the counter beside the chair. Emily watched as he pulled on a pair of white gloves. He tied a kind of rope around her arm, several inches above her elbow. He tapped her arm a few times. The doctor then pulled out a glass vial and needle form the counter. She watched him bring the needle to her skin. Emily quickly averted her eyes the second she watched the vial showed the hint of blood. Her eyes unintentionally went to Matt, who was watching her. For a moment, Emily feared him more than the truth. She'd seen many looked in his eyes before, but never has she ever seen this one. It was so unfamiliar to her; Emily wasn't sure how to describe the look.

"Finished." The doctor said, pulling Emily from Matt's gaze.

Emily looked down at her arm. The vial and needled had been pulled from her arm. The doctor had placed a white cloth on her arm and wrapped it up tightly in place. He held the vial of her blood on the table beside her.

"We'll run a few tests on the sample and call with the results." The doctor explained.

"That'd be great." Mat said.

* * *

><p>The ride from the clinic had been silent. Emily had stared out her window while Matt drove. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, unsure how her words would be responded. Occasionally, Emily thought she felt Matt's gaze drift toward her during the drive. Once they'd returned to the flat, Matt had walked behind Emily up the entire walk. Emily moved quickly, uncomfortable with the silence and tension between them. Emily stepped onto the landing of the flat. She walked toward the kitchenette. As Emily reached the kitchenette, she heard Matt's phone ring.<p>

"Yeah Jess?" Matt asked.

Emily turned to the entrance. Matt was leaning against the railing. His phone to his ear as he looked at the ground.

"Alright, I'm on my way. Tell Becker I'll meet him there." Matt said. He closed his phone and looked up.

"Another gateway opened up?" Emily asked.

Matt nodded. "I shouldn't be long. Will you be alright by yourself?"

Emily nodded. "I'll be fine."

Matt gave her a hesitant look. With all that had happened today, Emily couldn't blame his hesitance toward her.

"Honestly, Matt. I'll be fine." Emily replied.

Matt nodded hesitantly. "Alright. I'll be back soon." He turned and walked back down the stairs, leaving Emily along in the flat.

Emily exhaled deeply. She leaned against the counter for a moment, her mind swimming. Her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. Emily took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her hands were shaking against the countertop.

Emily gently pushed herself from the countertop. She walked out of the kitchen into the back bedroom. Emily dropped to her knees and reached beneath the mattresses. She pulled out her journal and opened the book. She seated herself on the bed and started writing furiously in her journal. Her hand holding her journal shook around the cover.

Emily wrote until her hand cramped. She set her pen down, still unfinished with the entry. She flexed her hand a few times and exhaled. Her hand shook as she tried to pick up the pen again. The pen shook in her unsteady grasp. Emily put the pen back down and closed her book. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. She drew her legs up onto the bed. Emily leaned onto her side and continued to sob. She'd never felt so unsure, so lost, so vulnerable, so alone in all her life. The tears fell onto her pillow as she cried. It wasn't long before the combination of her tears and fatigue wore Emily out.

* * *

><p>When Matt entered the flat several hours later, he quickly noticed how quiet it was. He frowned and slowly walked up the last step. He listened carefully, thinking Emily could be in the washroom again. But the entire apartment was silent. No sign of anything.<p>

Matt slowly walked toward the back of the flat. His footsteps were slow and silent. He looked around cautiously, keeping his eyes open for anything he might have missed. He walked through the hallway to the back room. He paused in the doorway when he spotted Emily lying on the bed. Matt sighed in relief and walked further into the bedroom. He dropped beside the bed and watched her a moment. She was lying on the mended sheets. Her legs were drawn up to her chest with her arms between them. Her face held the faint sign of tears. Matt gently ran his fingers over her cheek. He could feel the reminiscence of her tears. Matt had never seen Emily cry before. Close several times, but never watched he tears fall from her fair face. It was an unfamiliar and unpleasant thought to think about.

The day had been so unexpected for them both. The thought of Emily being pregnant was the furthest from his mind. Yes they had spent one night with each other. Only one a few weeks ago. Now that he thought about it, it fit together. Emily had explained to the nurse how she'd had headaches and backaches for nearly a week. And the nausea came on sudden. Matt couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed any of it sooner. Was he so blind to her pain?

Suddenly his phone rang. He grabbed his phone to silence the ring. He rose from Emily's side and left the room. Matt pulled his phone from his pocket and opened it. "Matt Anderson?"

"_Mr. Anderson, this is Doctor William's office. We have the test results of your wife's blood work."_ Came the reply.

Matt felt his heart rate increase. He glanced over his shoulder toward the room. "And?"

"_And the results indicate that your wife is pregnant."_ The nurse explained.

Matt felt his chest tighten. He took a deep breath. "Thank you." He closed his phone quickly and set it on the kitchen counter. Matt lowered his head and sighed. This was what his father had warned him about. This was what attachment lead to. Matt had ignored he warning and endangered everything. She was from the past. Another anomaly could open up to her home any day. She was married. Matt ran his hand through his head and turned from the kitchen.

Emily was standing in the hallway leaning against the wall. Her arms were folded in front of her chest. Her eyes glistened with new tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned quickly, walking back into the bedroom without a word.

Matt lowered his head and leaned back against the counter. He didn't know what to do.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_June fourth. Two thousand and eleven,_

_Matthew and I have returned from the clinic with unnerving news. The doctor suggested that I am with child. I am unsure what to do. Though there is no evidence that I am as he suggests. We are to expect a call with the firm knowledge of my condition by tomorrow at the latest._

_As I look back at the past week, I cannot understand why I had not come to the same conclusion. It has nearly been two weeks since that night and the medical world of my time is not primitive as Matt would believe. Perhaps the thought had crossed my mind, but I ignored it out of fear. In truth, I fear the doctor is correct. And more concerns fill my mind and heart._

_Would I carry this child to term? How will I raise this child? Will I even be able to keep the child? Would Matthew reject the child? Would he send me back to my own time? I cannot express what I am feeling. In one instance, I am utterly afraid of what is to come. Whether Matthew will accept what could happen. Yet in another instance, I cannot deny the excitement I feel swelling in my heart. After slipping through the gateways, I never imagined becoming a mother. Before traveling, I always believed I would have children with my husband whom neither cared for me, nor respected me. Now I stand in a different time, carrying a child whom does belong to my husband._

_I fear even more how my husband will accept me should I return after three years, bearing a child that is not his own. I know nothing of the punishments for my crime against my husband, and I'm frightened._

_Matthew just received the call from the doctor when he returned from the ARC. I woke up hearing his phone. I walked out of the room and waited in the hall while Matthew spoke with the doctor. I didn't need to hear the conversation to know my fears have been confirmed. I am pregnant. He spotted me after the phone call. Looking into his eyes, I realized what a mistake I made by staying here. The look in his eyes tore my heart into pieces. He does not want this. I've become a burden to him. A liability-if you will. I have now become the greatest risk in his mission._


	3. Chapter 3

Emily stood in the kitchen the next morning. She held a cup of tea in her hands as she stared out the glass walls. Matt was still asleep nearby. It was still relatively early in the morning as the sun hadn't risen yet. Emily hadn't managed to sleep much during the night and when she had, she'd woken to an uncomfortable nauseous feeling. To her dismay, Emily knew the morning nausea wouldn't leave for some time.

Emily sipped her tea quietly. It felt like a dream to her. Everything that had occurred felt like a dream. Perhaps it was? Perhaps she had dreamt it all? Perhaps that was wishful thinking?

"You alright?"

Emily turned her head quickly. She spotted Matt sitting up in his makeshift bed, watching her. Emily nodded slowly.

Matt picked his shirt up off the floor and pulled it over his head. Emily turned her head from the living room as Matt rose from his makeshift bed, giving him a little more privacy. Matt slipped on his jeans and walked to the counter of the kitchen.

"Morning sickness." Matt asked.

The present term was rather blunt for Emily, but she nodded anyways. She pushed a cup of coffee toward Matt. She'd suspected he would wake soon after her and prepared a cup for him when he did.

Matt gave her an appreciative nod and took the cup. Emily lowered her eyes from Matt and continued to sip her tea. The kitchen was oddly silent for a moment. Emily felt her uneasiness increase with every passing second. Matt set it cup down with an unintentional clink. The sound was so sudden it caused Emily to just across from him.

"Sorry." Matt said.

Emily shook her head and took a slow breath.

"Emily." Matt said.

Emily looked back at Matt.

"We need to inform the others of what's happened. Lester and Burton." Matt explained.

Emily nodded and sighed. "I thought as much."

"Do you want to be present for the meeting?" Matt asked.

Emily shook her head and set her cup down. "No. Not particularly."

Matt snorted lightly. "You're probably making the better choice between us."

Emily smiled lightly. Suddenly her uneasiness return, stronger than before. What would they decide? Would they see her as a liability to their work? Would they lock her away?

Matt saw the concern on Emily's face. He reached across the counter and touched her hand. Emily broke from her thoughts and looked at Matt. "Emily, I won't let them hurt you. Or your baby. I promise."

The uneasiness passed as Emily looked into Matt's eyes. He hadn't lied to her once since she'd met him. There was nothing in his eyes or his character that suggested Matt would be lying to her now. But it wasn't Matt whom Emily didn't trust.

* * *

><p>Emily stood by the ADD while Jess worked in front of her. Matt watched through the walls of the shared office at the ARC. Lester and Phillip both occupied the office. Phillip was seated at the desk with Lester calmly pacing behind him. Matt was seated in one of the chairs, waiting for them to react.<p>

"Matthew, the situation you've explained to us must be handled with great caution." Phillip said.

Matt still watched Emily. "I know."

"Emily needs protection not only from Ethan, who still remains at large, but also for close observation." Phillip continued.

Matt nodded. Ethan was his main worry. Even if he believed Emily dead, there was no telling what he would do if-and when- he discovered she was alive. And in her condition, there was more than just her own life at stake now. But with Ethan watching Matt's apartment, she couldn't be safe and stay with him. That was what Burton was getting at.

"You're thinking of keeping her here." Matt stated. He took his eyes from Emily and looked at Burton.

Phillip nodded. "It would be safer than allowing her out where Ethan could find her."

"I agree." Matt said.

"Good." Phillip said.

Matt rose from his chair. "I'll let her know." He turned and walked out of the office.

Phillip watched Matt walk out. Lester looked down at Phillip. "Lenient, weren't you."

Phillip looked back at his paperwork. "One problem at a time, James. Ethan is more dangerous than the child, but in due time both will be handled accordingly."

Lester nodded. "I see."

* * *

><p>Matt walked stepped down the stairs onto the main floor. Emily and Jess were still at the ADD. Jess was skimming through anomaly surveillance footage with Emily watching her closely. Matt walked across the room toward the women. Emily must have felt him coming because she turned to look over her shoulder. Her eyes asked the question she couldn't in Jess' presence. Matt gestured his head for a private conversation. Emily nodded in response. Matt watched as she said something to Jess, something he couldn't hear, excusing herself from the ADD, and walked over toward him. Matt led Emily from the main room, down the small hallways. They walked several meters in silence, alone in the hallway.<p>

"How did the meeting go?" Emily asked.

Matt nodded. "It went well."

Emily turned her head to look at Matt. "What did they decide?"

Matt stopped. "They think its best that you stay here, at the ARC."

Emily frowned in confusion.

"Ethan is still out there. If he discovers you're alive, he could come after you again." Matt explained. "Here you're protected."

"How long with I have to stay?" Emily asked.

Matt shook his head. "I'm not sure. Until Ethan is caught at the earliest."

Emily nodded.

"Are you going to be okay?" Matt asked.

Emily nodded again. "I will be. With some time to adjust to it anyways."

Matt reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "It'll be okay."

* * *

><p><em>London. England<em>

_June fifth, two thousand and eleven._

_The decision was made today by the superiors at the facility, that I should remain within the building. As I sit here in my new accommodations, I wonder how long I will truly be within these dreary walls. Matt said it was until Ethan was caught, but I sense there is more. Nothing that Matt says gives me complete comfort, though I can see he is trying to make this adjustment easier for me. He took the gracious liberty of bringing my few belongings from his flat to my new station in the building. It is not Matthew whom my distrust lies in, but his superiors. Phillip Burton, is one in particular. After Matt helped me settle into me room, I walked with him to the elevator. All the while, Burton was watching me. I have been gazed upon by men, but his gaze was different. It was dark and hateful. I felt myself grow cold and dying from his stare. I removed myself from his gaze as swiftly as I could, but even now his gaze still troubles me. I pray that my assumptions are incorrect and it is just anxiety attributed to my pregnancy._

_As of yet, no one aside from Matthew, Phillip Burton, and James Lester know of my condition. However, I know that will only last for a short time span. I wonder how the others will react to this news. I can practically see young Jessica smiling brightly and jumping in excitement. Miss Abigail too. Mister Connor is a strange fellow, however I believe he would make light of the situation. Captain is a mystery. All I know of him is duty and sternness. However I have seen a softer side, particularly in the presence of young Jessica. Though I am more concerned for his treatment toward Matthew once he learns of this news. I find these people hard to read-as Jess would put it._


	4. Chapter 4

Emily stood in her small room the next morning, fidgeting with her borrowed dress. Jess had been gracious enough to bring more of her clothes to share with Emily, which she was very grateful for. However as Emily moved the fabric around her body, she couldn't help but ponder how much longer she would appear as she did now. In several months, she would begin to show and no amount of borrowing Jess clothes would hide that.

There was a soft know on Emily's door, shaking her from her thoughts. Emily turned from the mirror of her small washroom and walked out. She moved toward the door as it opened. A tall stem of flowers entered from behind the door, followed by Matt.

"Hi." Matt said.

"Hi."

Matt held out the plant. "I thought this might brighten the place up a bit."

"Thank you." Emily smiled. She took the plant from Matt and turned to set it beside her bed.

As Emily moved to her bed, Matt looked around the room. A stab of guilt hit him. It was partially-if no all- his fault she was force to live in the facility now. "Sorry about this place. It's only temporary."

Emily smirked. "Well I'm used to temporary."

"Once Ethan's taken care of we'll see about moving you somewhere different." Matt explained. "Somewhere with a window."

"A window would be nice." Emily replied.

"Lester almost finished working on your new identity for this time." Matt said.

Emily frowned. "I officially exist in this time?"

Matt nodded. "As of this morning." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small beige envelope. He held the envelope out to Emily.

Emily took the envelope and hesitantly seated herself on her bed. She opened the envelope and reached in. She pulled out several documents. Emily set the envelope beside her and looked through the documents.

"Birth certificate, social security, Identification card, marriage license-"

Emily looked up quickly. "Marriage license?"

Matt nodded, trying not to smirk. "As of today, you're…my estranged wife."

Emily's brows rose slightly. "Really?"

"Less work than creating a brand new identity. Lester's idea." Matt explained.

Emily nodded. "No longer estranged, I gather?"

Matt shook his head. "Not after we started working together."

Emily set aside the marriage license and found her new birth certificate. "Emily Margaret Brunwin. Though I suppose it's been changed." She gathered up the documents together and placed them back into the envelope.

"How're you feeling?" Matt asked.

"About my new identity or in general?" Emily replied.

"Both."

Emily drew her eyes across the room. "I'm not sure yet. If the circumstances were different, I have no doubt I would be more gracious for everything you and the others have done for me. But as they are, it feels…"

"Overwhelming." Matt finished.

Emily nodded, wiping a stray tear from her face.

Matt reached out and gently grasped the hand still in her lap. Emily turned her head back toward Matt. "It won't always be this way. It'll take some time to get used to."

Emily smiled lightly and nodded.

Matt wanted to say more, giving another reason to believe things would get better, but he couldn't. He couldn't guarantee things would improve. "Lester should be arriving soon. I need to talk to him."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Emily asked.

Matt smiled and shook his head. "Not at all."

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken long to find Lester entering the facility. The usually unpleasant man was even more unpleasant, if that was possible. But Matt had gotten through Lester and given access to hunt Ethan down. Unfortunately another gateway had opened, sending the team, save for Matt, to another location. Matt and Emily took by Jess at the ADD. Jess was waiting for Connor's new gadget to transmit a date back.<p>

Jess turned in her chair toward Emily. "You left home in 1867, right?"

Emily nodded. "Yes."

"It looks like we found an anomaly back to your time." Jess explained.

Emily was silent. She turned to Matt, who was looking back at her. A gateway back to her own time had finally appeared. Emily looked back to Jess and smiled falsely. "Excuse me." She turned quickly and walked from the ADD.

She moved quickly from the main floor through the hallway. Emily passed several workers who never gave her a second glance, much to her pleasure. She reached her room and unlocked her door. Emily pushed the door opened and closed it quickly behind her. Her hands shook against the handle of the door. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Emily pushed herself from the door and walked to her bed. She withdrew her journal from beneath the mattress and opened it up. Emily took the pen and quickly began writing in her journal. She ignored the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Her hands shook around the book and the pen, disrupting her script, but she didn't care.

For the past three years Emily had wanted to find her way back home. She wanted to return to her family, to her husband, to her London. But now, after everything that had happened, after all the people she'd acquainted herself with, Emily wasn't ready to leave. How could she return with child? All her fears returned, flooding her mind, flooding the lines of her journal.

Emily couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her book closed and tossed it on her bed. She wiped her face free of tears and rose from her bed. She walked into the washroom and turned on the faucet. She scooped the water into her hands and slashed her face. Emily grabbed the towel and dried her face. She looked into the mirror. All traces of her tears had been cleaned away.

Emily walked back onto her bed and sat down. She leaned over and watched her hands hang from her legs. She was so confused. She should go home now that she had the chance. It was the most logical course of action. But why was she filled with a strange sensation every time she thought about it? Why couldn't she accept that it was time to go back to her own time, back where she belonged?

A soft knock echoed from her door, taking her from her thoughts. Emily straightened her back. "Who is it?"

There was a paused. "Emily, I'm sorry but that anomaly doesn't lead back to your home. Jess shouldn't have said anything till we were certain." Matt explained.

A small smile formed from her lips.

* * *

><p>Hours later, after Emily had reemerged from her room and after Matt had joined the other at the anomaly site in an old prison. Emily found herself walking through the corridors toward the detainment room. She'd heard that Ethan had been apprehended. Matt was talking with him now. Trying to discover what Ethan was going to do to the anomalies.<p>

She reached the door and stopped. She could see Matt sitting at a table with Ethan. Matt rose and walked to the door.

"Matt." She said.

Matt looked at her but turned. He walked quickly down the hall from her.

Emily frowned and followed. "Did he tell you what he's going to do?"

Matt said nothing.

"Matt?" Emily asked. She quickened her steps and grabbed his arm. "Talk to me."

Matt spun around quickly, facing her. "Why do you care?"

Emily froze. She'd never seen nor heard Matt's voice carry a more hostile tone. With anyone, let alone herself. "Pardon?"

"Why are you so interested in Ethan and what I'm doin' here?" Matt demanded.

"Matt are you accusing me of something?" Emily asked.

"It's not Ethan." Matt answered.

Emily's eyes widened.

"He's not the one, I was so certain." Matt continued.

"So…so what- you suspect me now?" Emily replied.

"No." Matt said quickly. "No I don't know. I could be anybody. It could be Danny for all we know."

"Matt, if you were wrong about Ethan than you could be wrong about everything." Emily said. "How can you be so sure that this event with the anomalies is even going to happen?"

"It just is. "Matt said firmly. "I know it is."

Matt turned and walked away from her.

"But it doesn't make sense!" Emily called after him. She watched him walk around the corner. She turned her head from the direction that Matt had gone. It didn't make any sense.

Emily turned and headed back to her room. Something was missing. If the event with the anomalies was going to occur, logically someone was responsible. Ethan did appear to be the likeliest of suspects. He had knowledge that Emily didn't about the gateways, like he'd traveled through them before she met him. But if Matt was correct, and Ethan wasn't the one, then it had to be someone else.

Emily sighed with exhaustion and returned to her room. She sat on her bed and lowered her head into her hands. Already it had been an exhausting day. All her energy seemed to have been drained within minutes. No doubt another side effect to her condition.

A soft knock caught Emily's attention.

"Yes?" Emily asked.

The door opened slowly. Jess slowly peeked her head in. "May I come in?"

Emily smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Jess entered and closed the door behind her. "I just spoke with Abby and Connor. It turns out that there were two anomalies. One of them leads back to the 1800's. It's 1867, Connor's sure this time, he promised."

Emily looked down at the ground. Her right hand began spinning her wedding band around her figure.

Jess noticed Emily's position. She frowned. "I thought this would be good news."

Emily looked up. "It is. Thank you."

Jess slowly seated herself beside Emily. "I'm sure if you wanted to stay, it would be okay. Do you want to stay?"

Emily looked at Jess. "I wish I knew what I wanted." She rose from her bed. "The person I was three years ago. A new bride who went to investigate the golden night and fell into a new world. It's not me anymore. But it seems, I don't quite fit here either." She looked down at Jess, who watched her closely. The look in Jess' eyes told her something.

"May I confide in you, Jessica?" Emily asked.

Jess' eyes grew wide. She nodded. "Of course."

Emily sat down beside Jess. "What I am about to share with you…it must remain between us."

Jess nodded. "I understand."

Emily bit her lip hesitantly. "I'm…I'm pregnant."

Jess' eyes widened further. Her mouth fell open. "You're sure?"

Emily nodded. "A few days ago, I had some tests done. The doctor confirmed that I was pregnant."

"Emily, please stop me if i am being too intrusive, but is Matt-?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. Matt is the father."

"What are you going to do?" Jess asked.

"I'm not sure." Emily replied. "If Connor is right, and the gateway leads back to 1867, then very little time will have passed since I left. If I were to return now, I would be the only person with the knowledge that the child does not belong to my husband."

Jess nodded.

"But how can I leave this time and take Matt's child from him before he has the chance to know them?" Emily asked. Tears formed within her eyes.

Jess took Emily's hand and gave her a comforting squeeze. "Emily, perhaps, if you talk with Matt-"

Emily sobbed. "Matt wants nothing to do with me. He's focused with anomalies, and for good reason."

"That's not true. Yes things are a little chaotic, but once it calms down, you and he can talk about what you should do." Jess explained.

Things would never settle down at the facility. Not until Matt found who would cause the event. But there was no telling how soon that would be, or how long that would be. It could be too late to talk to him by then. And there was no point in talking to him now, not when he frustrated enough without a suspect. Talking with Emily would be the last thing on his mind, not that Emily would expect any different.

Emily wiped her eyes. "Jess, I appreciate you allowing me to confide in you. But could I-?"

Jess nodded. "Of course. And if you need anything, let me know." She rose from the bed and walked out of the room.

Emily looked at her clothes hanging across the room. They were her only remnant of her past life. The life that was waiting beyond the gateway. Emily bit her lip and rose from her bed. She walked across her room to her clothing and removed them from the hangers. She laid them out across her bed. Emily reached beneath the mattress and removed her journal from within. She didn't belong to this time.

Emily walked through the corridors in search for Matt. She wore her long skirt and chemise beneath her leather jacket. Her boots echoed as she walked through the corridors. She needed to tell him what she was going to do. She didn't belong in this time. She never would. Matt knew it, just as she did. Returning back to her own time would be for the best. It would be better for them all.

Ahead of her, in the next corridor, Emily heard footsteps. Emily reached the corridor and looked around She turned behind her and froze. Ethan stood near her carrying one of the weapons used by the people. He aimed it at her head.

Ethan faltered a moment. Shock was written all over his face. The shock was soon replaced by a disturbing smile as he lowered the weapon. He gave a short laugh before raising the gun at Emily once more.

Emily took a small step back, running into the corner of the corridor.

"HEY!" someone yelled.

Emily turned quickly. Ethan wrapped his arm around Emily's neck and pulled her close to him. He pressed the muzzle of the gun against her back. Emily went stiff against Ethan.

Becker ran across the hall toward them and stopped. He raised his own weapon at them. "Ethan, or Patrick, or whatever your name is, lower your weapon slowly. And get down on the grown now."

Ethan cocked an eyebrow.

"NOW!" Becker ordered.

Ethan moved the muzzle of the gun to Emily's head.

Becker nodded. He held up his hands. "Okay. Just don't harm her. Okay?"

"I won't." Ethan said. He aimed the gun at Becker and fired.

Becker jerked from the impact and collided with the wall beside him. He collapsed on the ground against the wall.

Ethan pushed Emily forward, still holding her around her neck. They walked toward Becker. Ethan aimed his weapon against and shot Becker one more time. Emily watched as Becker went stiff on the ground. Ethan pushed her roughly forward through the corridor. They moved quickly toward the garage of the facility.

* * *

><p>Emily sat on the floor in one of the rooms inside the prison. Her wrist was cuffed to the pipes along one of the pillars. The guard had been rendered unconscious by Ethan and lay motionless several meters in front of Emily. Emily watched as Ethan walked around the room toward the sealing devices.<p>

"Tell me how to open that." Ethan said.

"I told you, I don't know how." Emily replied.

Ethan walked to the device and knelt down beside it. He started pressing different keys, trying in vain to unlocked it.

"You go through that gateway and you'll be the exact same person that you are now." Emily said.

Suddenly the gateway opened. Ethan smiled and rose from the ground. He walked across the room to the locked door. He slammed into the door several times, opening it up. He turned back to Emily, smirking sadistically.

"Ethan, don't do this." Emily pleaded.

Ethan looked at her. "Goodbye." He turned and walked through the anomaly.

Emily could do nothing but watch in horror as he left.

A sharp cry diverted Emily's attention. She turned her head back toward the newly opened door. The creature inside was slowly regaining consciousness. Emily looked around for some kind of weapon to defend herself. Several meters from her was a large stick. Emily moved as far as she could from the pillar, but it was not far enough. She stretched out her leg, trying to move it toward her.

The large bird slowly emerged from the room. It looked around and quickly spotted Emily. Emily looked back at the stick, trying to reach it more urgently. The bird screeched in hostility. Emily dragged the stick with her foot toward her. She grabbed it with her hands and rose to her feet.

The bird walked toward her, its head bobbing up and down. Emily gripped the stick tightly. The bird walked around a pillar, eyeing Emily carefully. Emily swung the stick hard. She bashed the head of the bird, but it only seemed to aggravate the bird. Emily swung again, this time slamming the birds head into the pillar. The bird squawked angrily. Emily hit it again. This time the bird staggered around a few passed before collapsing on the floor.

Emily sighed in relief.

Suddenly Danny and Matt emerged into the room. Both men immediately found the fallen creature. Matt lowered his weapon and looked to Emily.

"Nice." Danny said, looking at Emily. "You didn't say she was good."

Emily looked away from them, feeling her cheeks warm.

"Are you hurt?" Matt asked.

Emily shook her head. "No."

Matt nodded. "Good. Let's get this off you." He slung his weapon around his shoulder and searched for the key.

"Where's Patrick?" Danny asked.

Emily turned toward the open gateway. "He went through."

Danny said. "That's what I was afraid of."

Matt opened the cuff, releasing Emily's wrist.

"Thank you." Emily said.

Matt turned and walked to the sealing device. He picked up Connor dating device and held it to the gateway. It beeped a few times. "Pliocene."

Danny sighed.

"You gonna go after him?" Matt asked.

"I can't risk him going through to another human time." Danny answered. He turned to Matt and Emily. "I won't leave him alone. Look…I don't know if I can trust you, but it looks like I've got no choice."

Matt frowned.

"Phillip Burton is connected to Helen Cutter. They knew each other. He lied to me about it, something to do with anomaly research. You let the others know that Burton is not to be trusted." Danny explained.

"Look you go after your brother. I'll take care of this." Matt replied.

Danny nodded. He turned toward the anomaly and started moving toward it.

"Danny!" Emily called.

Danny turned.

Emily tossed him his stick. "Good luck."

Danny caught his stick and smiled. "Say goodbye to Abby and Connor for me, will ya."

Matt nodded.

"And oi, I've not forgotten that you shot me."

Matt chuckled.

"I'll get you back for that one day." Danny said. He turned and walked through the anomaly.

Matt walked to the device and sealed up the anomaly.

"Matt." Emily said.

Matt turned.

"I thought I should tell you that I decided to go back." Emily explained.

Matt's face was expressionless.

"Through the gateway, it would be the same year I left, which would mean my husband would believe that the child is his." Emily continued. "We both know I do not belong here. But I know making that choice will leave you without a chance to know the child."

Matt nodded.

"So I…I thought, that if you gave me a reason, I would stay." Emily explained.

Matt turned from Emily and looked at the anomaly.

"I know you have your mind set on your mission, and if I stay I'm only distracting you." Emily explained.

Matt looked back at Emily. "Emily, if the circumstances were different, I'd let you go through."

"If circumstances were different, I might not want to go through." Emily replied.

Matt chuckled lightly. "Maybe. But you're right. Having you here would be a distraction."

Emily nodded.

"But I know the survival rate for infants of your time." Matt replied. "If you want a reason to stay, then stay for the health of the baby. The doctors of this time can ensure they'll be healthy when they're born."

"You're sure?" Emily asked.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

Emily nodded. "Then I'll stay."

"I promise you Emily, I will get you back home one day." Matt said.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_June fifth, two thousand and eleven._

_After three years of traveling through the gateways, searching for home, one has finally opened. Yet I sit here in my room unable to relish the knowledge that I can return home. Instead, I dread the very thought of it. I find myself sick every time my mind draws to thoughts of leaving this time. I'm torn between what is right, and what feels right. I want so much to stay here, to raise my child in the safety of this time where little diseases will threaten their life. I want them to know both father and mother, without the crossing of time. But I also know I do not belong here, no will I ever belong to this time._

_This day has been nothing but exhaustion for my body. I find myself barely able to remain awake. Ethan was apprehended today, but he escaped through a gateway into the past. Danny, Ethan's brother from this very time, followed him._

_Today I found myself torn between two decisions. In one, I would stay here and raise my child in safety. And in another, I would raise my child in uncertainty, in a lie. Despite what I had believed this morning, I was ready to return to my time and lie to my husband. I was ready to hide the truth about my child's father forever. But he stopped me. Matt held me here. I only remain to ensure that my child grows healthy._

_I find myself alone now. With Matt now investigating Burton as his suspect, he will no doubt keep his distance from me. Through the drive back to the facility, we discussed how we should conduct ourselves around one another. The easiest factor being that we should keep our distance from each other unless the situation calls for it. I cannot imagine how tomorrow will lay out for me. I've grown very accustomed to talking with him. But I must do my best to abide by the rules as I know he will do so. He cannot afford to be distracted by me or our child. I will abide by the rule and keep my distance from him._

_At least I can take comfort in knowing that I can always confide in young Jessica._

_With Ethan gone, and Matt now focusing on Burton, I wonder how the focus of the team will shift?_


	5. Chapter 5

One week had passed since Ethan's escape. It had been a slow transition to shift the focus from Ethan and Danny back to the anomalies. They were becoming more frequent through the area. They were becoming more dangerous as well. However, despite the danger growing around, Phillip Burton wasn't thinking about the anomalies at the present.

Phillip sat at the desk he shared with Lester. He stared out through the wall at the ADD, conveniently where Matt, Emily, and Jess were located. Ever since Matt had explained that Emily was pregnant, he'd been thinking of a way to handle the situation. Emily was form the past. An anomaly could open up to her time at any moment. Logically, she couldn't go back carrying a child. There was no telling what kind of consequence could follow, no telling how the timeline would change. The situation had to be dealt with, but dealt with carefully.

Phillip picked up his cell and dialed. "Richard Morrison's office, please. And tell him it's urgent."

He waited a moment before the phone was lifted on the other end.

"_Richard Morrison."_

"Richard, Phillip Burton." Phillip said.

"_Ah, Phillip. It has been a while. How's Prospero treating you?"_ Morrison asked.

"Very well Richard. Very well." Phillip answered.

"_Good. Well, I know you well enough to know this isn't a social call. What can I do for you today?"_ Morrison asked.

"You know too well my friend. It appears I have a situation in my line of work. One that requires your discrete care, very soon I must add." Phillip explained.

"_I see."_ Morrison replied. _"I can be back in London in two days. The next day should do well."_

"Excellent. I can handle the preparations here. Be ready." Phillip replied and hung up the phone. He placed his phone back into his pocket.

A light tap came from the door.

"Yes?" Burton asked.

The door opened. Jess peeked her head in.

"What is it Jess?"

"Reports for this week's anomaly activities." Jess answered, holding up the file.

"Leave it on the desk." Burton answered.

Jess walked in and set the file down on the desk. She quickly walked out, closing the door behind her. Jess turned and looked at Burton closely. She turned and walked back to the ADD.

"Jess, is something wrong?" Emily asked, standing beside Jess' chair.

Jess turned. "No. No I'm fine."

Emily nodded. "Okay. Is there anything I can do for you? I'm feeling a little useless here just standing around this thing."

Jess thought for a moment. "Um…I'm not sure. Oh, darn it, where'd Matt go?"

"His office." Emily answered quickly.

Jess turned and reached under her console. She pulled out a small file. "I don't suppose you could give these to him?"

Emily looked at the file hesitantly.

"Of course I should probably deliver this myself." Jess replied quickly.

"No, no. I can give these to him." She took the files and walked from the console.

Jess watched Emily leave and checked the area around her console. Burton was leaving the office. He pulled on his coat and turned off the lights to the office. Jess watched Burton closely as he walk into the elevator and leave the facility. She frowned to herself, thinking back when she had entered the office. Phillip had just finished a phone call. Jess shook her head. Of course Phillip was making a phone call; he was the owner of a very important company.

* * *

><p>Emily walked through the halls toward Matt's office. In truth, he was most likely in one of the Botany labs. She remembered the few plants around his apartment and the plant he had given to her for her room. Matt seemed more at ease around nature than in the city.<p>

Emily followed the corridors toward the botany lab. As she suspected, Matt was sitting at one of the tables. He was staring across the room when she entered slowly. Matt didn't seem aware of her presence as she walked to his side.

"Matt?" Emily asked.

Matt turned quickly, looking at Emily. "Emily."

"You okay?" Emily asked.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, fine. Did you need something?"

"I just came to give these to you from Jess." Emily explained. She held out the file Jess had given her.

Matt took the file. "Ah, great. Thanks."

Emily nodded and turned from Matt. She walked back to the door.

"Emily." Matt called.

Emily turned quickly. "Yes?"

"Have you talked to Lester about your appointments?" Matt asked.

"No. No, not yet. But I'm hoping to speak with him tomorrow." Emily explained.

Matt nodded. "You should talk to him as soon as possible."

"Right." Emily said. She turned and left the lab. Suddenly all her energy vanished. She sighed in exhaustion. Somehow just spending a few minutes was enough to exhaust her. How could she manage months of this when she was only in the first few weeks of her pregnancy?

Emily shook her head and walked down the corridors. The halls were nearly empty, giving Emily the assumption that it was growing late in the day. It would not be long before it was just herself and a few guards in the facility. Emily turned down the corridor toward her room. She waved her wrist over her door, listening for the release. She grabbed the handle and pushed open her door.

Emily slipped her feet out of her shoes. She set her shoes beside her door and grabbed her nightgown from the small closet of clothes. Emily walked to the washroom and quickly changed. Her nightgown reached down her to knees, but like her dress. The sleeves were short, stopping a bit above her elbow. Emily placed her dress in the hamper and walked out of her washroom. She walked back to her bed and slipped beneath her blankets.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_June thirteenth two thousand and eleven._

_It has been over a week since Ethan escaped through the gateway and Danny followed in search of him. It has been a difficult week for everyone. During his escape, Ethan shot Captain Becker twice, resulting in the dislocation of his right shoulder. Lester ordered Becker a few days off the job to ensure his recovery. The Captain was far from pleased to hear the news. This took place the previous week. But I mention this again since the Captains attitude was affecting Jessica today. He acted rather harsh toward her this morning. I do not believe he meant to act in such a way intentionally, however the result seemed to stay with Jessica when I spoke to her early this morning. I thought it best to stay by her side and help her with anything she may need. Seeing as how I confide in her, I owe it to Jess to do the same. I only hope that the Captain does not continue to treat Jessica as such._

_As for Matt, he continues to keep his distance from myself. It still remains difficult to be within such close and far distance of him. Mere moments ago, Jessica asked me to deliver a file to Matt before she could leave. I must have lacked the quickness to hide my discomfort, for Jessica tried to withdraw her request. However, if I am to remain here, I should accept the distance placed between Matthew and myself. It startles me how well I seem to know Matthew. Within one of the botanical labs, rather than his office. I also noted that Matthew seemed to be struggling like myself, though he is able to hide his struggles better than myself._

_This may sound peculiar, but since Ethan's escape, I have felt myself under speculation. Stronger than before. In particular by Mr. Phillip Burton. I cannot, with certainty, explain why he bothers me so. I hope it is just paranoia, or another effect of my condition. I shall be watchful of Phillips conduct around myself. Should it remain the same, I'm unsure whom to direct my concern to. Matt is preoccupied, I'm unsure of the Captain or Lester could or will do something about my concern. Perhaps I will simply have to grow accustom to it as I have for everything else?_


	6. Chapter 6

By midmorning the next day, Emily's anxiousness toward Phillip hadn't ceased. Quite the opposite, actually. From the moment Emily glanced in his direction, she'd caught him watching her. And though she tried to shake the feel from her, she knew he was keeping her under his own personal surveillance. Emily was becoming more uncomfortable every second she remained near Phillip's sight.

"Emily."

Emily jumped. She turned quickly. Phillip was standing behind her. His hands were behind his back. If he was attempting to appear less intimidating and more hospitable, he was doing a poor job.

"Yes Mr. Burton?" Emily replied.

"Could I speak with you in my office?" he asked.

Emily raised a brow. "Now?"

Phillip nodded. "Yes. It is rather important."

"Of course." Emily said. She followed Phillip to his office.

Phillip sat behind his desk and gestured for Emily to do the same. He folded his hands on top of his desk and watched Emily. "How are feeling today?"

Emily was slightly surprised by his question. "Fine."

"No headaches, fatigue, morning sickness?" Phillip asked.

"I'm used to the sickness right now. And the fatigue usually sets within the afternoon." Emily explained.

Phillip nodded. "Have you been seeing a doctor since your first appointment?"

Emily was hesitant in answering the question. Danny's warning echoed in her mind and Phillip's constant surveillance gave Emily no assurance that she should be truthful. "Yes, I have. A few days ago, in fact. Why do you ask?"

"Well in your delicate situation, I thought it would be best if you saw a…more trusted doctor to Prospero." Phillip answered.

Emily shook her head. "I'm not sure I understand."

"I have an old colleague, a Doctor. And I would very much like him to follow your progress. He returns to London in a day and he's agreed to see you the day after he arrives." Phillip explained.

"I appreciate the trouble you've taken but-"

"Oh it's no trouble at all Emily. After all, you're a guest here to this time. You should be treated by the best doctor's our time has to offer." Phillip replied. He rose from his chair. "In fact, my colleague sees it as his honor."

"I'm not sure-"

"There's nothing to worry about. Every thing's been taken care of. And in a few days, you'll feel even more relaxed." Phillip finished. He led Emily to the office door and closed it behind her.

Emily stood outside Phillip's office in shock. She wasn't sure what had just occurred, but she was certain it wasn't good. Emily walked from the door down to Jess' side at the ADD.

Jess turned seeing Emily return. "Are you okay?"

Emily shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"What happened?" Jess asked.

"Burton's just forced me into an appointment with an old colleague of his. A doctor." Emily explained.

Jess frowned. "Strange. I thought you were going to talk to Lester about-"

"I was." Emily answered.

Jess glanced back toward Burton's office.

"Jess." Emily said. Jess turned back to look at Emily. "Yesterday, Phillip was watching me. Not like he watches everyone else. His gaze looked, possessive. Like I was his property or something like that. This morning it is the same thing. And after what he just told me was going to happen, I can't stay in here. Could you…could you give me something to do. Something to keep me away from Phillip?"

Jess nodded. "Sure. Um…Abby needs some help in the menagerie."

Emily nodded. "I can do that."

"I'll let her know you're on your way." Jess said.

Emily smiled and walked from the room toward the menagerie.

Jess watched Emily leave. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one was watching her. She turned back to the system and started bringing up the surveillance video from the past few minutes. She watched the footage move backwards. Jess stopped the feed and played it back in real time.

"_I have an old colleague, a Doctor. And I would very much like him to follow your progress. He returns to London in a day and he's agreed to see you the day after he arrives." _Phillip explained.

Jess frowned and paused the video. She rewound the feed further back to the morning. She played back every clip of Burton on his phone, but found no evidence of a doctor. Jess searched back further. She pulled up the feed of Burton in his office just moments prior to her entrance yesterday.

"_Richard Morrison's office, please. And tell him its urgent."_

Jess paused the clip. _Richard Morrison. Doctor Richard Morrison._

Jess minimized the surveillance feed and started searching for Doctor Morrison. She glanced around her again, keeping sure no one was watching her. Several links appeared on the screen for her. Jess carefully read each link. Several were newspaper headings from over three years ago. Jess felt her heart stop as she opened the first heading and read through the article.

"Oh my god."

* * *

><p>When Matt entered the menagerie in the afternoon, he'd expected to find Abby. Instead, he found Emily leaning against the table, looking about the room. Matt watched from the door for a moment. Suddenly Rex dove from above. His curved wings flapped lightly, directing him into Emily's arms. Emily laughed lightly and set Rex down on the table.<p>

Matt opened the door, entering the menagerie. Emily turned from Rex, looking at him. Her smile faded quickly upon seeing Matt enter the lab.

"Taking over the menagerie?" Matt asked lightly.

Emily smiled lightly. "Abby's working with the mammoth. She thought it best I keep Rex company after…" she let her sentence die off. There was no reason to bring in the fact that she'd nearly fainted while helping Abby with the mammoth. "Well…after the creature took a disliking toward me."

Matt nodded slowly. He could tell she was lying, but didn't want to push her. "Rex seems to have taken a liking to you."

Emily smiled. "He's a marvelous creature." She picked up a piece of lettuce and held it out for Rex. The lizard quickly took the piece from Emily's hand and ate it.

"He's a lively little guy." Matt said. He looked Emily over. She was leaning against the table. Her shoulders were slowing hunching over with her body. Her eyes tried to keep focused. "He can really where a person out."

Emily nodded. "I don't doubt that."

"How long have you been helping Abby?" Matt asked.

Emily turned and looked at the clock. It was slowly reaching three o'clock. "Five hours."

Matt gestured his head toward the door. "You should go."

"What?"

"You're exhausted, Emily. You're tryin' to hide it, but I can tell. Go back to your room, get some rest." Matt explained.

"Matt-"

"Please." Matt urged.

Emily sighed in defeat but nodded. "Alright."

"I'll let Abby know where you've gone to." Matt said.

Emily gently pushed herself from the table and walked toward the door. Rex chirped behind her, causing her to turn around. Emily smiled and waved to Rex as she slipped through the doors, leaving the menagerie.

Matt turned to Rex, who was looking up at him. Matt reached down and scratched beneath Rex's chin. He wasn't supposed to be distracted by her. He couldn't afford to. But he also couldn't ignore that he'd made her stay behind. He couldn't ignore that Emily was pregnant with his child. And he couldn't ignore that he cared for her.

"How do you keep your distance from someone you care about?" Matt asked aloud.

Rex titled his head and chirped.

Matt snorted lightly. "The anomalies are out of the question, Rex."

Rex chirped again and took flight from the table. Matt watched the lizard fly around the room and through the open door into the main chamber of the menagerie. Abby was standing in the doorway as Rex flew over her. She stared at Matt for a moment, clearly hearing what he'd said. Matt pushed himself from the table and walked out of the menagerie.

* * *

><p>Matt was in the locker room, packing up for the day. He was sitting on the bench in front of his open locker. The day had been nothing but discrete digging into Phillip's background, resulting in nothing that would aid in his search. He needed to get out of the facility, to get away from Emily. He rose from the bench and closed his locker. He picked up his jacket form the bench and slid his arms through the sleeves.<p>

Behind him, the doors burst open. Matt turned. Jess was standing in front of the doors looking panicked.

"Jess?" Matt asked.

Jess' eyes quickly found him. "Matt!"

Matt quickly walked toward Jess. "Jess what's wrong?"

"We have a serious problem." Jess said.

"What?"

Jess opened her mouth but quickly closed it. She looked around the room. She grabbed Matt's arm and dragged him from the door. "This way."

"Jess what-"

"Quickly." Jess urged.

Matt followed as Jess dragged him from the door of the locker room toward the back. Jess stopped dragging him and looked around quickly. She seemed satisfied with their new location.

"Jess what's this about?" Matt asked.

Jess took a deep breath. "Well this morning, Phillip asked to speak with Emily. He told her that he had a colleague, who happens to be a doctor, coming to London to see her. Well Emily felt rather uncomfortable about the whole thing and was even more uncomfortable with the fact that Phillip was watching her closely. I also thought it was strange that Phillip was watching Emily more so than everyone else, so I decided to look into this doctor Phillip was having Emily see."

Matt nodded. "And?"

Jess held out a small file. "These are newspaper clippings."

Matt took the file and opened them up. He scanned over the file headings. His heart stopped beating the second his eyes read the heading. He looked at the second heading.

"The doctor's name is Richard Morrison. Five years ago, Richard Morrison was convicted of medical malpractice. He was responsible for the deaths of seven young women under his care. His medical license was revoked and he fled the country to escape further consequences of his actions. He's been living in Spain since then." Jess continued.

Matt looked up from the articles. "What was his field of study?"

Jess swallowed. "Gynecology."

Matt set his teeth firmly. "You're absolutely sure about this, Jess?"

Jess nodded. "I've spent the entire day going through surveillance footage of Phillip and Morrison. Phillips already paid for use of an old clinic office in a small town some few hours from here. Morrison also paid for a plane ticket to London."

"The second he lands, the authorities will have him." Matt said.

"Not if Phillip's paid off the guards." Jess replied.

Matt sighed in frustration. He couldn't let Burton do this to Emily. "We have to get Emily out of here."

"I checked the security feds for Emily's room. Phillip's changed to access to only his bracelet." Jess explained. "Please tell me Emily isn't in her room."

Matt lowered her head. "I told her to get some rest."

"Matt, we can't let Phillip do this." Jess said.

Matt nodded. "I know. Is there any way to change the access codes to Emily's room?"

Jess hesitated. "I only know of one way. It's going to require an entire system shut down."

"How long until the system reboots?" Matt asked.

Jess shrugged. "A matter of minutes."

"That's long enough to get Emily out of her room." Matt replied.

"But Matt, even if you do, you still have to get out of the building, and once you've done that, where are you going to go? Your car, phone, and black box had transmitters. Phillip will find you and Emily." Jess explained. "You're going to need someone watching you from the surveillance system."

Matt shook his head. "Jess if you're caught-"

"Emily's my friend too, Matt. I'm not going to let Burton try to harm her. Not when I can do something." Jess explained. She pulled out a comm unit. "I can keep a private line between us and guide you out of the building. And if I'm discovered I'll…I'll use a specific word."

Matt sighed. He couldn't let Jess do this. Burton could easily destroy her career and her life, if he was in a gracious mood. But Jess was right as well, he couldn't escape the facility on his own without some inside help. "What's the word?"

* * *

><p>Matt stood outside Emily's door, out of the cameras sight. He left shoulder was pressed against the wall, ready to move once Jess had acted. He held the EMD ready. He pressed the comm. "Ready."<p>

"_Copy that. I'm initiating the shutdown in three…two…one."_ Jess replied.

With Jess' last word, the lights shut down. The entire corridor was thrown in completely darkness. Matt moved quickly from his place. He pushed open Emily's door and shined his torch. Emily was sitting on her bed. She winced at the light, holding her hand over her face.

"Matt?" Emily asked.

"Get your things, we have to go." Matt said. He moved from the door to her bed.

"Matt what's happening?" she asked. She sat up from her bed and lowered her feet to the floor.

"We have to go, now." Matt said. He grabbed the file containing Emily's fake identity and slipped it into the bag.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not safe here anymore." Matt answered. He gave Emily the bag.

"What?" Emily asked. She frowned.

Matt looked at Emily. "Phillip's going to try and kill your baby."

Emily's eyes grew wide. Her mouth fell open.

"I won't let him do it Emily. You have to come with me now." Matt said. He grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her from the bed. He moved back to the door and shut off his torch. They slipped into the hallways and moved.

"The lights?" Emily whispered. She slung the bag over her shoulder.

"Jess' plan." Matt answered.

Suddenly the lights turned back on. Matt and Emily looked up at the lights.

"Damnit." Matt said.

"What's happened?" Emily asked.

Matt didn't answer. "Jess?"

"_Backup unit kicked in in less time than I thought. You need to move now, Matt." _Jess replied.

Matt looked back to Emily. "Let's go."

They moved quickly through the corridors. Matt held Emily's hand as he led the way. He took the corridors with the limited camera angles, hoping to reduce their chances of being seen. With the unexpected power outage, Matt suspected that most of the crews were being sent to the power circuits of the room. With any luck, so had some of the guards. They were reaching the main lobby of the facility. The elevator was the only way in or out of the facility.

Matt paused at the corner. "Jess we're in position."

There was no response.

"Jess?" Matt asked.

"_Matt, Phillip knows the shutdown was rigged. He's on the ADD searching for the reason." _Jess explained.

Matt sighed in frustration. "Damnit."

"_Matt, Abby and I are working on a plan to get you two out. It'll be two minutes."_ Jess explained

Matt frowned. "How does Abby-"

"_Jess told me everything Matt. Let's face it; you can't do this with just to two of you."_ Abby explained.

Matt glanced out into the main room. He could see Phillip searching through the surveillance cameras. "Whatever you two are planning, you may want to do it soon."

"_Okay, here goes."_ Abby said.

Matt watched Burton at the ADD. Suddenly the screen went red. An alarm had been triggered. The menagerie! Matt smirked. They were brilliant. He could see the Dracorex rampaging through the halls of the facility, giving them the change. Several soldiers sprinted off toward the menagerie for the creature.

Matt turned back to Emily. "Now."

Matt grabbed Emily's hand and ran to the elevator. He watched the main floor as they quickly moved into the elevator. He pushed Emily against the wall, keeping her out of sight and pressed the ascend button. The doors closed quickly, cutting them off from the main floor.

"Jess we're in."

"_Copy that. Get to safety."_ Jess explained.

"Brilliant plan, ladies." Matt replied.

"Can I talk to them?" Emily asked.

Matt nodded and passed Emily the comm.

Emily carefully slipped the piece into her ear. "Abby, Jess, I can't thank you enough for this."

"_Make sure Matt's gets you to safety. With any luck we'll see you once this is over."_ Abby said.

Emily passed the piece back to Matt.

Matt placed the comm back into his ear. "Jess, we're reaching the garage now."

"_Copy."_

The doors opened in front of them. Matt stepped out first. He raised the EMD and quickly scanned the area. He motioned for Emily to follow him. Emily slipped out the elevator and moved beside Matt. Matt grabbed Emily's hand and led her from the elevator. They moved quickly down the rows of trucks.

Matt turned down one of the rows and opened the truck door. He gave Emily a gentle push, guiding her into the cab. Emily climbed into the cab and slipped into the passenger seat. Matt closed the door and turned.

"Going somewhere?" Becker stood at the end of the truck. His EMD rifle was trained on Matt.

"Step aside Becker." Matt said.

"I can't let you take Emily, Matt." Becker said.

"And I can't let her stay here." Matt said. He took a step forward.

"Matt I'm prepared to shoot you if I have to." Becker warned.

Matt lowered his weapon. "I know you are. And I'm not going to stop you. Jess, get Becker's comm tuned to this channel."

Becker frowned.

"_-am I bringing Becker's comm in?"_ Jess asked.

"Jess?" Becker asked.

"Jess and Abby are both helping me get Emily out of here." Matt turned to the truck. "Emily, there's a file in there containing old newspaper headings."

Emily opened her bag and dug through its contents. She pulled out the file that Matt was talking about. She opened the door and held out the file.

Matt took the file from Emily and turned back to Becker. "Phillip's plan for Emily." He dropped it at Becker's feet. "We're not going to let him do this to her."

Becker looked at the folder and then back up at Matt.

"What would Phillip want with Emily?" Becker asked.

"Emily's pregnant." Matt answered.

Becker's eyes widened.

"_Matt." _Jess' voice called.

Matt frowned. Jess tone had taken a change. "What is it, Jess?"

"_We have an incursion." _Jess whispered.

Matt's heart quickened. He pulled his comm from his ear. He raised his EMD at Becker. "Damnit, get the hell out of my way."

"What did she mean?" Becker asked.

"It means Philip's caught them." Matt explained. "He's found out they helped break Emily out."

Becker said nothing.

"Becker, right now, Abby and Jess need you in there. Take the file and read it." Matt urged. "You have no idea what Burton will do to them for this."

Becker groaned and dropped his weapon. He jerked his head toward the exit. "Go!"

Matt nodded and jogged past Becker. He opened the driver's door and climbed in. Becker stepped out of the way as Matt turned on the engine and threw the truck into reverse. He pulled back quickly.

Becker moved to the driver's window.

Matt rolled it down.

"Make sure Burton can't find her, or this will be for nothing." Becker said.

Matt nodded. "I'll come back once I know she's safe." He shifted the truck into drive and quickly sped off toward the city street.

* * *

><p>Becker watched the 4 x 4 speed off into the city. He glanced back at the ground, where Matt had dropped the file. Becker quickly picked it up and opened it. His eyes quickly fell on the top heading. His heart dropped as he read over the contents. Becker closed the file and quickly ran back to the elevator. Matt was right, Abby and Jess would need him. He slammed his palm of the descend button and waited anxiously for the elevator to reach the main floor.<p>

* * *

><p>Abby and Jess stood in front of Burton's desk. Their hands were cuffed In front of their bodies. Several guards stood behind them, armed with EMDs. Phillip was visibly infuriated with the situation. But despite how intimidating the situation appeared, both women stood tall, unafraid of Philip's anger, and ready to accept the consequences for their actions.<p>

"You initiated a system wide shut down to the facility, erased security code clearances throughout the entire building, released a creature into the corridors, allowed a government vehicle to be stolen from the vicinity, and aided Anderson in removing Miss Merchant from the facility!" Philip yelled furiously. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Neither Abby nor Jess said a word.

"I have it on high authority to dismiss you both from your jobs and place you under arrest for insubordination." Phillip continued.

"Actually, you don't."

Abby and Jess turned quickly. Lester stood in the doorway with Becker behind him. He walked behind the guards toward the desk.

"What makes you believe otherwise, James?" Phillip asked.

Lester held up a file. "This does, actually." He opened the file and pulled out the top document. "_'Doctor's license revoked for Malpractices. Seven lives lost due to negligence.'_" He pulled out another article. "_'Doctor flees country to escape conviction, escape paid for by Prospero Industries.'_" Lester looked up from the file. "Must I continue?"

"On what grounds are those clipping relevant to this situation?" Phillip demanded.

"Seven women lost their lives, because of that doctor. And according to the planner, you scheduled Emily a visit with him for the day after tomorrow." Lester explained. He closed to file. He turned to Abby and Jess. "Becker, please release Abby and Jess. Ladies, return to your posts."

"One moment, James, these ladies-"

"Did nothing more than what I would have done had I known about this sooner, Phillip." Lester replied. "And I have the Ministers consent in this matter now."

Phillip said nothing, but his fury was visible. "You have no idea what you're doing. Any of you."

"I know we stopped you from killing Emily's baby." Jess said, speaking for the first time.

Phillip's eyes shifted to Jess and narrowed. "And did you stop to think what that child might do to the timeline? Did you think about the damage that could be done when Emily returns to her time with the child?"

"So what, we just remove the child from the world because of its inconvenience? Like you planned to do with the creatures. Is that how you remove beings that are inconveniently placed in your path, you kill them?" Abby replied.

"It doesn't matter now. Emily's safely out of the facility and the Minister's granted her sanctuary from Prospero Industries. As of now, Emily is a legal citizen of the country with all the rights and privileges as all of us." Lester explained. "Which means, should anyone threaten her life, they will be penalized without remorse."

The room was silent for a moment. No one dare speak after what Lester had just revealed.

Lester looked back at Becker. "Captain, the ladies."

Becker nodded. "Yes sir." He led Abby and Jess from the office. He closed the door behind them and quickly unlocked the cuffs.

Abby looked up from the cuffs. "Matt?"

"He's on the move." Becker snapped.

"Thanks for-"

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" Becker asked, looking up at Jess.

Jess froze. "Pardon?"

"Why did you leave me in the dark when I could've helped?" Becker demanded.

"I…I didn't think-"

"No Jess, you didn't." Becker said. He turned quickly and stalked down the hall.

"Oi, Becker!" Abby called. But Becker never turned around. Abby glared after him. She walked to Jess side and wrapped an around her shoulder.

* * *

><p>The four by four screeched out of the garage. Emily leaned against the door as Matt steered the truck recklessly. She gripped the armrest of her door and closed her eyes. She jerked in the truck as Matt straightened out the truck along the road. Emily exhaled deeply and dared to open her eyes. The city was speeding past her window. Her heart was racing in her chest. Her hands shook against the door and in her lap.<p>

"Matt…the others." Emily stammered. "Jessica…and Abby…Burton…Burton won't-"

"No. He can't do anything to them." Matt explained.

"How…how do you-"

"Because Jess sent copies of all those documents to a few select people. If Phillip has any sense, he won't do anything to them or try to come after you." Matt answered. "If anything, Phillip's just done our job for us."

"How so?" Emily asked.

Matt glanced toward her. "By going behind everyone's back, he's warned them he can't be trusted."

Emily nodded slowly, still trembling. Matt's explanation made sense, but after everything that had happened in the past-goodness knows how much or how little time had actually past- she still didn't understand. She didn't understand why Burton had planned to kill her child, she didn't understand why Jess and Abby put her safety over their own, and she didn't understand why Matt was risking everything to get her out of the ARC.

Matt took his hand off the wheel and took Emily's trembling hand. "Everything's going to be alright, Emily."

"How can you say that?" Emily whispered. She was so close to tears.

"Because I promised that I would make sure you and your baby would be safe." Matt explained. "And I'm going to do everything to keep that promise."

"How?"

"I'm taking you from the ARC. As long as Burton's around you're not safe there." Matt replied.

"Can't they track the vehicle?" Emily asked. She knew about their personal trackers, the black boxes. And after watching Jess at the ADD for a few weeks, she knew well enough that the others could track the car and possibly his phone.

Matt shook his head. "Not this time. No black box, no phone, even the trucks GPS was shut off. I'm not taking any chance sin Phillip finding you."

"How do you know Phillip won't find me?"

"Because we're the only ones who know where you'll be." Matt explained. He turned quickly off the street, into a large underground storage facility. Emily watched the light vanish around them. Matt easily steered the car into an empty parking slot and cut the engine. He pulled the keys from the ignition. He opened his door and quickly climbed out of the truck. It took less a minute for him to reach Emily's door and open it.

Emily slowly climbed out of the truck, with Matt's help. He grabbed he bag from her sea and passed it back to her. Emily's hands continued to tremble as she strung the pack around her shoulders. Matt took her hand and led her from the truck. They walked through the dimly lit underground, passed multiple storage sheds.

Matt stopped quickly and walked to one of the sheds. He unlocked the shed and drew up the steel door. The compartment was empty, save for a single small vehicle. It looked much like a bicycle Emily had seen, only it was different. The vehicle had two wheels, like a bicycle, but the body of it was bulkier. The body was painted deep blue and sleek.

"Come on." Matt said. He walked to the vehicle and mounted it.

Emily moved slowly to Matt's side. She looked at the vehicle, unsure how she would stay on. She carefully mounted the vehicle. Matt looked over his shoulder and helped her place her feet above the ground. Emily wrapped her arms around his waist. Matt placed the keys into the vehicle and kick started it up. The engine roared beneath them.

"Hold on!" Matt called. He passed her large black helmet. Emily watched Matt place it over his head and followed suits.

Emily tightened her grip and closed her eyes.

The engine revved and took off out of the shed. Emily felt the air rush over her body with the speed. She lowered her head against Matt's back as they rode out of the garage. She could feel the sun beat down on her back as they emerged from the underground garage. She opened her eyes slowly. The buildings and people passed by them quickly. She closed her eyes again and held on tight.

* * *

><p>Emily felt the transition from the road. She opened her eyes and found herself far out of the city. She recognized the area though. She'd come this way with Matt once before. She watched as the trees slowly thinned into a small clearing. A hidden home lay in the center of the clearing.<p>

The vehicle came to a slow stop in front of the vehicle. Matt cut the engine and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He pulled off his helmet and set the vehicle up on its own. Emily pulled off her helmet and looked at the house. Nothing had changed in the month since her previous visit. She rose from the vehicle and set her helmet on her seat. The walls of the home were still covered by the green leaves of the ivy, crawling up toward the roof. Anyone that would drive by would never know it was here unless they looked hard enough.

Emily turned to Matt. He was watching her closely. He watched how she walked around the area, revisiting the sites. Watching how familiar she was with the area. How comfortable she was. And then Emily knew why. He was going to leave her here, where no one knew.

"How long?" Emily asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know. With things the way they are back at the ARC, it's hard to say. It may end up permanent."

Emily nodded slowly. She turned back to look at the house. "At least I have a window."

The corners of Matt's lips twitched slightly. "That's true."

"I suppose there are rules to abide by while I'm here." Emily said.

Matt nodded. "A few. The first one being to stay near the house. This place isn't very popular but if Burton is keen on finding you, he'll look everywhere. Secondly, if a vehicle pulls up that you don't recognize, hide. Never answer the phone, even if it's me."

"You plan on calling?" Emily asked.

"I plan on checking up on you." Matt replied. "I'll call ahead before I drive here, so you know to expect me."

"And the baby?"

"I'll schedule the appointments and have Jess take you to them. But it won't be for a few weeks, just in case Burton's still adamant on finding you." Matt explained. "There's plenty of food and ways to occupy your time."

Emily nodded slowly. She folded her arms in front of her chest and looked back at the house. She was uneasy being left alone in Matt's flat, now he was leaving her in the middle of nowhere in his family's home.

Matt touched her arm. Emily turned back toward him. He held a small brass key for her. Emily took the key into her hand. Against his opinion, Matt gently kissed the top of Emily's forehead. "I'll call you tonight to make sure you're settled."

Emily nodded.

Matt released her and walked back to the bike. He stared up the engine and revved it several times. He slipped the helmet over his head and gave her a quick wave. Emily returned the wave and watched as Matt rode back down the dirt road. She watched the vehicle until it was out of her view. She stayed in her place until the sound of the engine had faded from her hearing. Emily sighed and turned to the house. Who knew how long she would reside within the walls? Who knew how long she would reside within the forest? But for the moment, it would hold her safety a secret. If she and her child were to survive, it would have to do.

* * *

><p>Matt stormed into the ARC. He burst from the elevator and moved directly toward the office. He grabbed the handle and shoved the door open. The force of the door against the glass walls echoed loudly as the glass cracked from the impact. Everyone within hearing distance looked up. Becker, who was standing nearby the office turned quickly, reaching for his gun. Jess was sitting at the ADD spun in her chair toward the office. Phillip was sitting behind the desk when Matt burst into the office. Matt stopped at the desk. He slammed his hands on the desk and leaned over toward Phillip.<p>

"Let's get something straight, Burton. You may have bought out half of the ARC for your own personal projects, but you in no way own the people. You don't own the creatures, the anomalies, or the people that come through them!" Matt yelled. "The damn stunt you tried to pull with Emily is not going to happen again-"

Burton rose quickly. "I assure **you**, Anderson that the stunt you pulled today will never happen again. And I will make sure that Miss Merchant is found and the situation that you created is taken care of."

"You have no right to make that decision!" Matt replied.

"I have every right!" Phillip snapped. "Did you think about Emily? What if she's only meant to have one child? What if she's supposed to die in childbirth? That child she's carrying now, your child, could ruin the timeline!" Phillip explained.

"That's why she's still here. We both know that this time is better equipped medically than hers. If anything can go wrong staying here are her best chances." Matt replied.

"This risk is too high." Phillip said.

"What if removing the child does more damage than good? What if it has consequences and alters the timeline further?" Matt asked.

"It's worth the risk."

"But only because you made the decision." Matt stated.

"This isn't up for discussion." Phillip said. He waved his hand toward the door.

Matt glanced over his shoulder. Several of the soldiers filed in, pointed EMDs at him.

"As far as I'm concerned Mr. Anderson, you've committed treason by aiding the escape of a dangerous person." Phillip explained. "You're being placed under arrest and you will tell me where Miss Merchant is residing."

Matt snorted bitterly. "There is no bloody way in hell I'll tell you where she is."

"Have it your way." Phillip said.

The soldiers grabbed Matt's arm. Matt moved quickly. He flipped the first one over his shoulder and slammed him onto the desk. Matt used the EMD and fired at the second guard. Both men were unconscious before either realized what had happened. Matt moved quickly and closed the office door, suing the bodies of the unconscious soldiers to keep it closed.

Matt turned back around and faced Phillip. "This is how it's going to be now, Philip. I have no intension of ever telling you where Emily is. And as far as she is concerned, Emily is now a free woman of this country. And as she has no connection to Prospero Industries or the ARC, you have no legal grounds to detail or search for her."

"And how do you plan to stop me?" Phillip asked.

"You don't seem to understand how unwanted here you really are. Everyone in the ARC will drop everything if it means watching you leave the facility. I assume Becker and Lester showed you those documents Jess found." Matt said.

Phillip nodded. "They've been disposed of."

"I'm not surprised. However Jess has all the information ready to send to the Minister and every news reporter and newspaper around the world." Matt explained. "If I get word that you're looking for Emily, I'll have Jess send the information. Not just about what you planned for Emily, but the world will know about the creatures, the anomalies, the ARC, everything."

"That's a bold move to ensure Emily's safety." Phillip said.

"Believe it or not, I have the entire team behind me." Matt explained.

"I highly doubt that." Phillip replied.

"If I'm wrong, then explain to me why Becker hasn't done anything to stop me?" Matt suggested.

Phillip looked to his left, where Becker was still standing outside the office. He was leaning against the railing watching them inside the office.

Matt turned and dragged the men from the door. "Watch yourself, Burton." He turned and walked out of the office.

Becker pushed himself off the railing and followed Matt. "Did it ever occur to you that shooting my men was excessive?"

"I would've rather shot Burton, but no." Matt replied. He stopped and turned to Becker. "Find the others. We need to talk outside of the facility. Leave the black boxes and mobiles behind. Take a vehicle that doesn't have GPS. We can't risk Burton following us anymore."

Becker frowned. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain it later. Just get them to the meeting." Matt replied.

* * *

><p>He'd never set foot in the earlier office. After the facility had moved, he read that the building had been condemned due to safety hazards. Now he stood on the catwalk overlooking the ADD floor. Matt wondered how the others would react to returning to the building. Abby and Connor hadn't seen within the walls for over a year, and Becker's last days here hadn't been the greatest. Still, this was the only place Matt could think of, where Burton wouldn't think to follow him.<p>

The sound of the door creaking open, echoed into the large empty dome. Matt looked down and watched as Jess emerged from the corridors. She entered slowly, looking around cautiously. Matt respected her caution. After everything that had happened, they couldn't afford to lose anyone.

"Jess." Mat called.

Jess gasped in surprise. She spun around quickly, looking up at the catwalk. She relaxed quickly, exhaling deeply. "Matt you scared me."

"Have you seen the others?" Matt asked disregarding her statement.

Jess nodded. "Yes. Uh…Becker was pulling in when I got out and Abby and Connor should be here soon."

On cue, Becker passed through the doors. Matt watched as he glanced at Jess but walked passed her. He walked around the dome to the ramp and began following it toward Matt. Matt frowned at Becker's detachment toward Jess. Jess noticed as well, but she said nothing. She followed Becker, keeping her distance from him as she moved up toward Matt.

"Care to tell us why the bloody hell we're here?" Becker asked. His voice was on a tight edge.

"Had to be sure Burton wouldn't find us." Matt explained. "Flats are too public and there's no telling how many places Burton can watch."

Abby and Connor entered the dome below them. Connor looked around quickly, taking in the old facilities recent appearance. Abby quickly spotted them on the catwalk and nudged Connor for his attention. They quickly jogged up the ramp toward the others.

Matt turned from the catwalk and motioned Becker and Jess toward Lester's old office. The glass had become grouted over, covered in dust and other kinds of material. Cracks ran along several panels, but none had shattered yet. The furniture had long since been removed but the office still held the markings of what had once occupied the room.

Becker walked toward the glass wall and leaned against one of the pillars. Jess took the solid wall. Abby and Connor filed in last, staying by the door. Matt stood in the center of the room, near them all.

Matt looked at each one. Each person was someone he'd come to know in the past few months. He'd learned to trust them all. And what he was about to do could destroy everything they were all trying to save.

"First off, I just want to thank you guys for all your help getting Emily out of the ARC." Matt said.

"Is she safe?" Jess asked.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. She's in a safe location."

"How can you be sure?" Becker asked.

"Because I'm the only person who know where she is." Matt explained.

"Will Phillip keep looking for her?" Jess asked.

Matt shook his head. "Not if wants everything kept quiet. He knows that if he starts looking for her, the entire ARC operation goes public."

"How long do you want the package waiting for?" Jess asked.

"For a while. At least until we have evidence that he's not looking for Emily." Matt explained.

Jess nodded.

Matt took a breath and continued. "Before Danny left he asked me to give you a message. Now I know this may not be easy, especially for you Connor, but Danny's warned me that Burton can't be trusted."

"I think he proved that today." Abby said.

Matt nodded. "Right, but Danny also said that Burton's somehow linked to Helen Cutter. He doesn't know how, but if he's right then we have a serious problem within the ARC."

"So how do we handle it?" Becker asked.

"I can do some digging." Jess offered. "So back in Burton's files or Helen's and see if they ever met."

"It's a good idea, but Burton's already keeping a close eye on you. He's watching all of us closely." Matt explained.

"Everyone except Connor." Becker stated.

Everyone turned to Connor.

Connor raised his head slightly. "You want me to dig through Phillip's background?"

"You're the only one who has access to his files. Phillip also trusts you more." Matt explained.

Connor shook his head. "No. No I can't."

"Connor listen, something is happening to the anomalies. You know it, Phillip knows it. Everyone knows it." Matt said.

Connor nodded.

"Something is going to happen to the anomalies and when it does the world as you all know it ends." Matt explained.

The room was silent. All eyes were on Matt.

Becker was the first to break the silence. "How do you know?"

Matt looked at Becker. "Because that's where I came from."

"You're from the future?" Abby asked.

Matt nodded.

"The future where the predators and the Megopteran are from?" Becker asked.

Matt shook his head. "No. Further than that. That time can still support life on the surface."

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"In my time, the rest of humanity lives beneath the earth's surface. The earth can't support life, not even the predators can survive. Our daily existence depends on what little resources we can find and defending ourselves from them." Matt explained.

"Why did you come here? To this time?" Becker asked.

"I was sent back to stop the even from happening." Matt explained. "Several people, different timeline, same mission; change the future."

"Why are you telling us now?" Jess asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

Matt turned toward Jess.

"Why now? Why not tell us sooner when we could have helped you?" Jess repeated.

"I didn't know if the person responsible for the event worked inside the lab or outside." Matt explained. "Until a few weeks ago I wasn't sure who I could trust with this."

"What makes you think we can trust you?" Becker asked. "You've done nothing but lie to us since you joined the teams."

Matt met Becker's gaze. "Because all of you have seen the future. You saw the destruction that virtually eradicated humanity. At most that future's a few decades from now. If you could see my time, you'd understand what's at stake. Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to let that happen."

Becker said nothing.

Jess swallowed. "What can I do to help?"

Everyone turned to look at Jess. Matt watched her closely. Her arms were folded in front of her chest. She stood tall, like she always did when she was determined. In truth, Matt hadn't expected anyone to willingly offer to help him. He expected Becker to pull a gun on him and detain him. He expected Abby to be furious with him and Connor to storm out of the building. But Jess left him confused. He didn't know what to expect from her.

"Jess?" Abby asked.

Jess took a step toward Matt. "I may have only worked with you for nine months, but you haven't given me a reason not to trust you. You know your job and you put everyone above yourself."

Matt said nothing.

"Jess he's given us perfect reasons not to trust him." Becker replied.

Jess shook his head. "No he hasn't. He could've kept this to himself forever, but he hasn't. Now I may not have seen the future you're from, but I have read the files from previous missions. If your future is worse, then I want to help."

Abby swallowed. "Count me in too. I've seen the future and there's no way in hell I'm going to let it happen if it can be changed."

Matt nodded slowly. His eyes shifted to Becker. The anger was as clear as day on his face. Becker looked at Matt, meeting his gaze. Becker pushed himself off the pillar and walked to Matt.

"The moment this ends, you submit to questioning." Becker said.

Matt nodded. "Done."

* * *

><p><em>London, England.<em>

_June fourteenth two thousand and eleven,_

_Should I look back on my time in the present and seek a more tiring day, I shall recall this one. In all my years of traveling through the gateways and all the dangerous creatures I have faced, I have never been more terrified for my safety until today. Phillip Burton wishes to dispose of my child, the foul monster. His twisted sense of superiority leads him to believe he had the right and authority to decide if my child should live, or in this case, be removed. I cannot begin to understand how he believes he had simply remove life that was granted. However, after hearing the knowledge of his actions, I do not wish to understand. However, I can rest a tad more easier knowing that I am far from Burton's reach._

_My safety is owed to Matt, Abby, and Jessica. They have made a difficult sacrifice in removing me from the ARC facility. I fear for their safety, but Matt assures me that Burton cannot and will not harm them. Part of me believes him, yet part of me remains weary of the situation. Can a man set on removing an unborn child from his mother's womb be so content, in allowing those responsible for said woman's release, that they remain unpunished for their actions? I do not believe such a man exists in neither this time nor mine._

_Currently, I reside within the home that belonged to Matt's father. It had been nearly a month since his father's passing, but very little has changed. I currently reside within the parlor of the home as I write. I am unsure how I should conduct myself within this home. Matt said that this is now my home and I am to do with it as I please, yet I am unable to do so. In my mind, this is very much another part of Matt's life that he has been forced to share because of my presence. He has already been forced to deviate from his mission by bringing me here, now he is forced to call the residence to ensure my safety. I have become more of a burden to him than I ever thought possible. There is no doubt in my mind that I should have passed through the gateway when I last had the chance. _

_However, as I now currently reside within this time and within these walls, I am forced to look beyond the decision that was made for me and conduct myself in a fashion that will ensure my safety and the safety of my child._

_As he promised, Matt called. He was brief, but he informed me that the others now know of his mission in this time. His voice told me that the others hadn't taken the news with the greatest respect, however his mere call told me that the Captain hadn't detained him. However, from my experience in this situation, I assume that the Captain will detain Matt once his mission is completed._


	7. Chapter 7

The breeze was warm as summer reached its midpoint. Emily looked up at the sky. She titled her head to the left, watching the few clouds in the sky. She turned and looked back down at the rose bush in front of her. She trimmed another dead leaf from the large stem and moved onto the next bush.

After a month of living in hiding, Emily had finally found a way to keep herself active. She found that the plant life around the house needed to be tamed, specifically the rose bushes. In a few days' time, Emily had turned to savage looking bushes into domesticated plant life. She had also taken to short walks around the house. Emily never walked out in the open, though. She stuck to the deep interior of the forest, ensuring she stayed hidden. She would cook small meals for herself and read in the parlor. Usually by which time, she would wait for Matt to call her. He had his own calling pattern, which usually consisted between the hours of seven and nine. By nine o'clock, if Matt hadn't called, Emily marked her place in her book and retired for the evening.

The sound of tires caught Emily's attention. She turned from her bushes and watched the road. Slowly, she withdrew herself into the shadows of the forest. Her visitors were few and only a recent luxury to her living style. Still, Matt had told her to keep hidden until she was certain who was driving to the house.

Emily watched from the forest line as a small car came into the clearing. She watched as it slowed to a stop near the front of the house. The engine shut off quickly and the driver climbed out of the car. Emily smiled, catching sight of the small field coordinator.

"Emily?" Jess called in a slightly hushed voice.

Emily stepped from the forest line. "Over here, Jess."

Jess turned toward Emily's voice and smiled. "There you are. How have you been?"

Emily met Jess and gave her a large hug. "I've been managing, I suppose. Compared to my stay at the ARC, anyways."

"I bet." Jess said.

Emily led the way toward the front door. Jess had become a close friend and her more constant visitor since Matt permitted them. They walked into the kitchen. Emily quickly put the kettle on while Jess gathered the cups and saucers.

"How's everyone fairing back at the facility?" Emily asked.

"Alright, I suppose." Jess answered. "Everyone is still on edge with Phillip. And now with Matt."

"Even after a month?" Emily asked.

Jess nodded. "They trusted Matt more than they trust Philip. We all did. But when Matt told us that he was from the future…he lost our trust."

"So the others trust Phillip more than they trust Matt?"

"Oh god no!" Jess answered. She shook her head vigorously. "No, no. They'd all trust Matt over Phillip any day. They're just being cautious with Matt now."

Emily nodded slowly. "And there's still nothing found from your search?"

Jess shook her head again. "No. I've looked back almost ten years, which is longer than the ARC's been around, and still nothing. And I'm afraid if something isn't found soon, Becker's going to go to Lester about Matt."

The kettle whistled behind Emily. She pulled if from the stove and set it on the tray. They walked into the parlor and sat down. "Would Becker really do that? Taking him to Lester would expose everything and possible ruin all chances Matt has to stop Phillip- or whoever is responsible."

Jess sighed. "You know, if you'd asked me that question a month ago, I would've said no. But now, with everything that's happened and happening, I'm not sure anymore. Becker's taken to avoiding everyone on the team while he's at the facility. And when he in the field, he barely acknowledges them, especially Matt. He almost completely withdrawn himself form the team." Jess paused. "I know he doesn't trust Burton, and he has a solid hatred toward the future, but I'm not sure if he'll help us stop both if he keeps doing this."

"Perhaps you should talk to him?" Emily suggested. She passed Jess one of the cups.

Jess snorted, taking the cup form Emily. "Becker has also taken steps in avoiding me at the ARC as well. I haven't heard a word from him in almost two weeks, even while he's in the field."

Emily was silent. She watched closely as Jess took a small sip from her cup.

"We're falling apart." Jess whispered.

Emily put her cup down and grabbed Jess' hand. "Then you need to remind them why you're all together. Remind them why they agreed to be a part of the team."

Jess smiled. "Brilliant idea."

Emily returned the smile. She released Jess hand and picked up her cup once more.

"How did your last appointment go?" Jess asked.

Emily smiled, thankful for the subject change. "It went well. The doctor said that the baby looked in wonderful condition for its time."

"Have you thought about what you want? I mean, a boy or a girl?" Jess asked.

Emily was silent for a moment. Truthfully, the thought had yet to cross her mind. Emily shook her head. "I'm not sure. What with everything's that taken place, I haven't thought much about it."

"Well you really sure. Yes you're not far along, but there's still a lot to plan for." Jess replied. "I mean, in a few months most of your clothes will be a tight fit. That will require a shopping trip. And of course clothing and things for the baby."

"You're assuming I'll still remain once the baby is born, Jessica." Emily said.

Jess frowned. "Why wouldn't you be?"

Emily said nothing.

"You…you can't just leave. What about the baby? What about Matt?"

"Matt has made himself perfectly clear." Emily said. "Once the baby is born, we'll discuss who shall take care of them."

"But that means one of you is forced to go on without knowing your child." Jess said. "That's not fair to either of you, or to your baby."

Emily waved her hand. "Jess, it's still a ways off."

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't think about it." Jess replied. "If you had this baby now and an anomaly opened to your time the next day, would you be able to go through and leave your baby here?"

Emily said nothing. She turned her head from Jess's view.

Jess reached out and grabbed Emily's hand. "Emily?"

Emily rose from her chair and turned from Jess. "I think you should leave, Jess. Please."

Jess opened her mouth but quickly closed it quickly. She lowered her head sadly. She'd let her mouth run wild again without thinking what she was saying. Jess rose from her chair and picked up her purse. She walked out of the parlor and through the front door.

Emily listened to Jess' footsteps as she left the parlor. She heard the front door close and the starting of an engine. The sounds faded in a matter of minutes, leaving Emily alone in the house, alone with her pain. She didn't want to think about what Jess had said, but she couldn't deny that the same thoughts hadn't left her mind since Matt asked her to stay. It had only been two months since she had discovered she was with child, but that meant she had seven months left to think about the future of her child.

The fear and anxiety she'd built up in the past two months was reaching the breaking point. Everything was so overwhelming. Her pregnancy, her escape, Matt, her future, the future of her child, everything was too much for her. Emily buried her face into her hands and cried out. She sank back onto the sofa and cried into her hands. Dozens of tears fell into her hands, slipping through the gaps between her fingers. How much longer could she pretend she knew would become of her? How much longer could she pretend like she wasn't afraid? In truth, she couldn't. She couldn't spend the next seven months pretending. She couldn't spend the next week like this. She was living in a lie, one that was her only protection from the outside world.

* * *

><p>Matt walked through the hallway toward the control room of the ARC. He held a mission file in his hand that needed to be turned into Lester before the day was done. The chances that he would remember to drop the file off as he was leaving the building later were about as good as Jess coming into work in jeans. He entered the control room, coming up right beside Lester's office. He looked up from his file as he reached the door. He spotted Jess' figure at the ADD.<p>

Matt frowned. Jess wasn't supposed to be in for another few hours. She'd taken half the day off to spend with Emily. What was she doing here three hours early? He walked past Lester's office, forgetting the file in his hand, and walked down to the ADD.

"Hey, I thought you were coming in late today." Matt said.

Jess gave him a brief glance to her left. "My plans changed."

Matt frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I…I said something to Emily." Jess answered. "I…I upset her. She didn't tell me directly, but she asked me to leave."

"Can I ask what you said?" Matt asked.

Jess looked around the room. No one was within ear shot. She looked back to Matt. "I asked her why she wouldn't stay behind."

Matt nodded slowly. "And she asked you to leave?"

"Yes." Jess answered. "I didn't mean to upset her, Matt. Honestly."

"I know you didn't Jess." Matt said. He wasn't surprised at Emily's decision though. Neither of them had actually managed to talk about what they were going to do once the baby was born. "Don't worry about it Jess. I'll talk with Emily."

"There's more. I did a little digging on Burton and hacked into Prospero's mainframe." Jess continued.

"Jess that's risky." Matt said.

"I know, but we need to know everything in Prosper." Jess answered.

"What did you find?" Matt asked.

Jess glanced around again. "A project titled 'New Dawn'. I haven't entirely figured out what the project is, I'm still decrypting the project."

Matt nodded.

"But what I found out so far is that the project is about green energy." Jess explained.

"It's not a crime to want to find a new energy source." Matt said.

Jess nodded. "Right, and encrypting it is only for a precaution against competitor enterprises."

"Let me know what the projects about once you've decrypted it." Matt said.

"Always do." Jess said.

* * *

><p>Emily was sitting outside, in the back yard. She was seated at the small outdoors table with her tea in front of her. She was leaning against the table, her tea untouched, looking off into the forest. Jess had left hours ago, and since then, Emily had forced herself to reevaluate the questions Jess had brought to her attention. She'd taken a note pad from the house and brought it outside with her. For hours, she'd thought about the questions and written them down, her own list for when she confronted Matt.<p>

"Keepin' busy?"

Emily snapped to alert. She rose from her chair, turning toward the voice. She faced Matt, standing behind her chair. Emily exhaled slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"I talked to Jess." Matt answered.

Emily lowered her gaze to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked.

"I talked to Jess." Matt answered.

Emily looked down at the ground. She shook her head. "It was just an argument, Matt. You shouldn't have come. It isn't significant enough for you to come all this way. Just by being here you're risking everything-"

"Enough." Matt said.

Emily looked up at him. It was then she really looked at him. Matt stood tall, as she'd seen so many times before. His eyes were bright, heated. He stepped closer, dropping his eyes to the notepad. He picked up the pad, scanning over the contents. Guilt grew in Emily. Matt dropped the pad down and looked back up at Emily.

"I think there's a few things we need to discuss." Matt said.

Emily shook her head. "I'm not so sure now's the best time for that."

"I think now's the perfect time for it, Emily. You know as well as I, we might not get a second chance to talk about this." Matt replied.

Emily turned from Matt. She folded her arms in front of her chest and sighed. "Aren't you needed back at the ARC?"

Matt shook his head. "No."

"We agreed that I was a distraction and being distant was for the best." Emily continued.

"Stop avoiding the issue." Matt said.

"I'm only quoting your words Matt." Emily said.

"I know what I said, Emily." Matt replied.

Emily turned quickly, facing Matt. "Then why are you here? Why are you breaking your own rules and risking everything by coming here?"

"I'm not worried about that I'm worried about you." Matt answered.

"Well you shouldn't be. I can take care of myself."

"By pushing away people who're trying to help you." Matt accused.

"I am not!" Emily protested.

"Yes you are. You pushed Jess back and now you're pushing me back." Matt replied.

"You pushed me back first." Emily stated.

"It was for your own protection."

"Then why did you make me stay? Why didn't you just let me go?" Emily asked. "There would be no distractions, no need to protect me, no one to hurt when you push them back, no one to leave!"

Emily stopped. She'd played right into his trap, saying more than enough. She sank to the grass and buried her face into her hands. Even after venting hours ago, she still felt everything break free. Tears rolled down her cheeks, into her palms.

Matt stared at Emily. He'd known there was something bothering her than just the argument with Jess, and it had something to do with him. He knelt in the grass beside Emily. He gently took Emily's hands, slowly drawing them from her face. Emily refused to look at Matt. Matt reached beneath her chin.

"Look at me." Matt said.

Emily shook her head.

"Em." He whispered.

Emily turned her head toward him. Her eyes lifted from the ground, meeting his. Matt reached his thump up and wiped the falling tears from her cheek.

"No matter what happens, I would never leave you." Matt said.

"You can't say that, Matt. We both know that your mission might be the end of you." Emily replied.

Matt nodded. "And if I had a chance to come back, I would. Every choice I've made during these past few months, everything I've done, was to keep you and the baby safe. That hasn't change." He leaned closer until their foreheads touched. "And it never will."

For a moment, silence was all that was needed between. As Matt looked into the watered brown eyes of Emily, something hit him. The same feeling he'd had when he'd rescued her from the tomb. The same feeling he'd had when he watched her walk down the stairs at Jenny's wedding. The same feeling he'd acted on when he told her to stay. The same feel he'd had when he woke up that morning with her in his arms. That feeling he was supposed to have ignored. The feeling he was acting on now. Matt closed the gap between then, pressing his lips to Emily's.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_July sixteenth two thousand and eleven,_

_Since discovering I'm with child, I have not yet felt a feeling of peace until tonight. I have no doubt that is because of Matthew's presence with me. There is something about him that calms me heart and answers what questions I have for this child._

_After tonight, there's no doubt in my mind that the child should remain in this time. Even lying here beside him, knowing that I will bid my child goodbye one day, I do not fear the day. I know they will be much safer in this time. They will have a better life than I could ever give them in my own time. And I know that Matthew will care for our child. _

_I do fear for him, though. I fear for him every day he returns to the ARC. I fear that my presence in this point of time will distract him from his mission. Having seen what Phillip is capable of, I fear greatly for Matthew's safety, as well as the safety of the others. What more, there is nothing I can do to aid him. My condition as it is would be enough to keep me from aiding him, but with the threat of Phillip still hunting for me, I would only be walking into his trap._

_So, here I am, forced to wait for time to pass. Forced to wait for safety in a different time. Waiting seems to be the mutual activity between myself and Matthew. Yet I fear we will not have to wait long for what Matthew was sent here to prevent. Perhaps I am only feeling this way because of my condition, I was told by these doctors that emotions were more sensitive while carrying a child. But there something more I'm feeling. I cannot put it to words enough to make sense of it. I pray that I am wrong._


	8. Chapter 8

The ARC facility was quiet. The night shift consisted of half the amount of members as the day staff. All in all, it was much peaceful than the day shift, which was exactly why Jess was still at the facility. She was sitting in one of the spare rooms on her laptop. Since Emily's break out, Lester –on orders of Phillip of course- had given her enough work to keep her busy on and off schedules. Tonight, Jess was finishing the security codes. She'd had to reload every security by hand after shutting the entire system down. Once the codes were entered, the ARC security would be the way it was before she crashed it.

Jess yawned, finally finishing the reload. She lifted her hands above her head, stretching them out. She closed the window and opened her next one. She glanced up at the camera, making eye contact with the camera. She typed quickly, opening her hacking window. She opened the decoding file, checking on the progress. She'd been working on it for several weeks, and it was nearly finished decoding. It had another percent of decoding before it would be finished.

The decoding screen closed automatically. It reopened with the documents completely decoded. Jess leaned closer to her computer and started reading over the files. Her eyes moved fast, briefly scanning over the contents. And merely scanning it caused her heart to race. Jess pulled out her pink flash drive and inserted it into her computer. She started downloading the fields into her flash drive.

Suddenly another screen popped up on her computer. Phillip's face appeared in a video screen. He shook his head, sighing. _"Jessica, you didn't think I wouldn't take some precautions to ensure security here, did you?"_

Jess closed the video screen and removed the flash drive. She opened another screen on her computer, her video recording. If Phillip had tracked her computer he would have men on her in no time. She pressed the red button beneath the video screen.

"This is Jessica Parker to Captain Hilary Becker. If you're watching this, then something's happened to me. Since Emily's rescue, I've been doing some digging on Phillip and Prospero, and I've completed the decoding on it. What I've found is disturbing and dangerous. This goes beyond Project 'New Dawn', this goes to Emily too. Becker, you have to get this to Matt. He needs to see this in order to stop them. I know it's hard for you trust me now after what happened, but if there was ever a time to start trusting me again, now would be it. I can't get this to Matt on my own. I need your help. I really need your help, Becker. I don't know if I'll be able to hide this, but I have an idea. You need you get rid of your phones, black boxes, anything Burton can use to track you. I know this isn't making sense, but once you've done that, read the data on the drive. Just think like me. It's up to you guys now. Good luck Becker. Hopefully I'll see you when this is all over." She stopped the recording the video and typed quickly. She sent the video and closed her computer.

Jess set her computer down and jumped to her feet. She moved out into the halls, moving toward the locker rooms. She didn't worry about the cameras, her last key strokes and shut down the facility camera's, which would help her. She jogged into the locker room and moved toward her locker. She opened it quickly and pulled out a chocolate bar. She removed the chocolate and slipped the flash drive into. With her fashion repair kit, she glued the wrapper back together and threw away the chocolate. She grabbed a post-it note and stuck it to the wrapper. Jess closed her locker and moved toward the next lockers. She slipped the bar into the locker and left the room. She moved fast through the hall toward the elevator. She pulled out her phone and started dialing.

"Please answer." Jess muttered.

The phone went immediately to a dial tone.

"Of course." Jess said.

"_This is Matt Anderson, leave a message."_

**BEEP.**

"Matt next time, answer your damn phone. I've finished decoding the documents I hacked. I've left them somewhere I hope is safe. Hopefully it'll get to you." Jess said. She pressed the elevator button.

The elevator doors opened. Jess looked up from her phone. Phillip stood in the elevator with several armed men. The men filed out of the elevator, surrounding Jess. They raised their weapons, aiming them at Jess.

Phillip stepped out of the elevator. "Jessica."

"Burton." Jess said.

Phillip reached out and took Jess' phone. He looked at the number and ended the call. "You know you can't warn them."

Jess smirked. "I already have."

Phillip's eyes narrowed. "Where's the data?"

"Somewhere you will never find it. And nothing you do to me will make me tell you." Jess said.

"Take her away." Phillip ordered.

The leading mean pushed Jess toward the elevator. They escorted her into the elevator and closed the doors. Phillip turned back to Jess' phone and redialed the last number. He held the phone to his ear and waited.

"_This is Matt Anderson, leave a message."_

**BEEP.**

"Matthew, let this be a warning that your actions will have consequences greater than your comprehension. Jess will be just the start." Phillip said. He ended the call and dropped the phone onto the ground. He stomped his foot onto the phone. The phone shattered instantly against the floor. He picked the broken phone pieces off the floor and walked into his office.

Phillip dropped the pieces into the trash been beside his desk. He walked behind his desk and sat himself down. Phillip grabbed the phone on the desk and pressed several numbers; bring the phone to his ear. "April, we've run into a few complications. Make sure everything is ready. Project 'New Dawn' begins today."

* * *

><p>Becker entered the ARC nearly half an hour before his shift started. He walked through the control room past the ADD. He noted the chair was empty, signaling Jess had yet to come in. Becker walked through the control room toward the locker room.<p>

Becker pushed open the door, finding it empty. He walked down the rows to his locker and entered his code. He opened his locker and paused. On the top shelf of the locker was a wrapper with a bright colored note. Becker reached into his locker and retrieved the wrapper. He pulled off the note; it was a pocket sized chocolate bar wrapper. He'd bought one of these for Jess a few months back. Becker looked at the note in his other hand, immediately recognizing the writing as Jess'.

_I trust you_

Becker frowned. He placed the bar back into his locker along with the note. He'd ask Jess about it later, if he was in the mood to talk to her. Even a month after Emily's departure from the facility, Becker was exactly on speaking terms with Jess beyond anomaly activity. If the day went without a massive creature incursion, he'd talk to her.

From behind, the door opened. Becker quickly closed his locker and turned. Matt entered the room, looking down at the floor. He looked up, if he was surprised to see Becker in this early, Matt didn't show it. He nodded briefly and walked to his locker.

Becker walked from the lockers toward the door. As he reached it, the door opened yet again. This time it was Abby who entered. She stopped short before she ran into Becker.

"Sorry." Abby said.

"What are you doing in so early?" Becker asked.

Abby motioned toward the door. "Connor needed to get in early. Work."

Becker nodded. He moved around Abby to the door.

"Hey Becker, have you seen Jess this morning?" Abby asked.

Becker turned. He frowned slightly. "Didn't she come in with you and Connor?"

Abby shook her head. "No. She said she had some late work, but she never came home."

"She probably stayed the night then." Becker said.

"Jess would've called." Abby replied. "And her phone keeps going to voice mail."

Becker glanced around Abby toward Matt. Matt had turned from his locker, listening to their conversation. To be fair, what Abby was telling them wasn't at all what Jess would do. But that didn't mean they should be overreacting yet.

"She might have fallen asleep and forgot to call, Abby." Matt suggested.

Abby nodded. "I know, I sound like I'm overreacting-"

"If no one hears from her by the end of the day, we'll start looking." Becker said.

Abby nodded. "Okay."

Suddenly the Anomaly Alert sounded throughout the facility. Everyone jogged out of the locker room back into the main control room. Connor was at the ADD, tracking the anomaly. Phillip was standing behind him, watching the screen.

"Where is it Connor?" Matt asked.

"It's on the outskirts of the city." Connor answered. "I'm getting the coordinates now. Where's Jess?"

"Jess took some time off for holiday. I suggest you all go, before a creature slips through." Phillip said.

"Send them to us once you have them. Becker, Abby, let's go." Matt ordered. He turned from the console and jogged toward the elevator. Abby and Becker were right behind him.

* * *

><p>Jess moved quickly through the dark. Her hand trailed along the wall, guiding her. Ever since Phillip had her removed from the facility, Jess had found herself in a dark room. She'd been walking around for hours on end, trying to get the layout of her surroundings, but nothing felt familiar.<p>

Suddenly a sound caught Jess' attention. Jess looked up, as if she could see it. She hadn't heard anything like it before. It came from all around her. She could locate where it was. Jess closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to lose her cool now. That was when mistakes were made. Jess continued through the darkness, listening for anything out there.

* * *

><p>Matt was on the road alone. Abby and Becker had taken the car together to the site. Connor had yet to give them exact coordinates, but that didn't stop them from getting a head start to the site.<p>

"_Coordinates are on the way guys."_ Connor said.

Matt felt his phone vibrate. He flipped open his phone. He turned the car wheel, following the coordinates. The city around him vanished fast, leaving nothing but scarce warehouses and fields. Matt reached the coordinates first. He pulled over and stopped the car. Matt grabbed his EMD rifle and climbed out of the explorer.

"Connor I'm at the coordinates. Where's the anomaly?" Matt asked.

There was only static.

"Connor? Becker I've lost Connor on the comms." Mat said.

Still nothing.

"Can anybody read me?" Matt asked.

Nothing.

Matt gripped his weapon and headed in cautiously. He moved to one side of the door and pushed it open. He moved in slowly, staying close to the wall. The warehouse was dark, save for his gun light. He moved deeper into the warehouse, listening for anything.

"Anyone there?" Matt called.

Silence was his response.

His light fell upon a door, further leading in the warehouse. Matt slid the door open and entered. His light led the way, illuminating the narrow hallway. Matt moved slowly down the hallway. In the distance, he heard a clatter coming toward him. Matt readied his weapon and waited. He stared down at the end of the hall, waiting. Suddenly figure dressed in bright green stumbled into his line of sight. They turned, raiding their hand to the light.

"Jess!" Matt called. He lowered his weapon.

"Matt?" Jess asked.

A low rumble caught Matt's attention. He turned quickly, just as a dark figure attacked him. Matt could faintly hear Jess screaming as the world went dark.

* * *

><p>Emily knelt in the garden along the west wall of the cottage. She pulled dead leaves from the rose bushes, tossing them to the ground. The sun beat down on her back, but Emily didn't mind it. She picked several more dead leaves from the bushes. It was really one of the few things that gave her comfort these days. On the windowsill just above her head, was a small portable radio. She'd tuned it to -what the others called 'classical'- station, letting the familiar music fill in the quiet.<p>

Suddenly the music was cut off. Emily frowned and lifted her head to the sill. The music was overthrown by strong static sounds. Emily picked up the radio from the sill and examined it. She bit her lip and set the radio back onto the sill. She walked around the house toward the door. Emily walked to the back of the house and froze.

On the far edge of the field, just on the forest line was the glistening sphere of a gateway. Emily stared at the gateway in disbelief. She hadn't seen one in over a month, not since the one to her time had closed. Emily slowly drew from the field. If an anomaly had opened here, there was no doubt that the ARC team would soon follow. If she was seen anywhere near the anomaly, they could return her to the ARC.

Emily jogged around through to the front of the house. She ran into the house, directly into the parlor. She grabbed the bag, that Matt had given her weeks ago. Her papers were still inside. Emily moved to the bookshelf and retrieved her journal, which she concealed with the other books on the shelf, and placed it into the bag. Emily drew the bag over her shoulder and headed toward the front of the house. She stepped outside, just as the first black car pulled down the lane. Emily drew herself back into the house and locked the door. She moved around the house quickly, drawing the windows shut, turning off all the lights. She listened to the sounds of the cars driving past the house, toward the anomaly.

Emily moved quietly about the house, toward the cellar. She'd discovered it during her first week alone. Emily dropped to the floor and lifted the heavy door. She swung her legs into the dark hole and eased herself down. She carefully lowered the door over her head, temporarily sealing herself in the cellar. She exhaled deeply, and waited for the team to leave.

* * *

><p>The black explorer pulled into an empty field behind a small cottage. Becker quickly shifted into park and cut the engine. Abby hopped out of the vehicle and glanced behind them. Matt had left ahead of them, so why hadn't he arrived yet?<p>

"Connor where's Matt?" Abby asked.

"_Second anomaly site opened up. Philip sent him to the second site." _Connor explained.

Abby glanced to Becker, who shared the uneasy look. Becker pulled out the case carrying the anomaly locking device from the back of the car. Abby held up her EMD and followed Becker toward the anomaly.

"_Any signs of incursion?" _Connor asked.

"Nothing yet Connor." Abby replied.

Becker set the device on the ground and opened the case. He inserted the sphere into th device and moved to the keys. Before he could even activate the device, the anomaly shut closed by itself. Abby and Becker looked at the field in disbelief.

"_Guys, I'm not reading the anomaly anymore."_ Connor said.

"Yeah, that's cause it closed Connor." Abby explained.

"_Really? Wow, hasn't been that easy…ever."_ Connor replied.

Becker packed up the gear. "Let's just hope a creature didn't slip through the back."

Abby nodded. "Do you want a quick survey and leave a few men overnight?"

Becker nodded. "Yeah. I'll give them the order once back up arrives." He rose from the ground and headed back toward the car.

"Connor what's Matt's anomaly look like?" Abby asked.

"_Closed down as well. He should be headin' back soon."_ Connor said.

Abby looked back to the anomaly. Something wasn't right. These anomalies were never this easy, not without something slipping in or out of them.

Becker walked up behind Abby. "What is it?"

"Has any anomaly ever been this easy?" Abby asked.

Becker shook his head. "Never."

"My point." Abby said.

"We'll talk to Matt once we get back. Maybe he'll have some ideas." Becker said.

"I hope so. Things are getting way too strange." Abby said. They climbed back inot the explorer and headed back for the ARC.

* * *

><p>Becker was seated at his desk later that night. Every muscle in his body was aching, begging for rest. The second he and Abby returned to the ARC, another anomaly opened in a different part of the city. Just as this morning, it has closed before they could even activate the device. The day continued as such until his shift ended. Coincidentally, so did the opening if anomalies. If something didn't settle well before, it was certainly not settling now. Becker was searching through the security feeds. Jess had set up a system for him in which all security footage from anomaly sites were sent to his home computer for his review. He usually used them to review errors and keep them from happening, but something was wrong with these anomalies. And he was going to find out was.<p>

Suddenly his cell phone rang. Becker picked up his phone from beside his desk. He glanced at the screen _Abby_. Becker flipped open his phone. "Becker."

"_I just looked through the entire flat, and none of Jess' clothes are missing. Nothing is missing except her laptop." _Abby said, forgoing the greetings.

"You went through Jess' things?" Becker asked. "Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

"_This is serious, Becker. You know as well as I do, Jess wouldn't go anywhere without someone on the team knowing. I talked to Lester and even he didn't know Jess was off." _Abby continued.

Becker looked from his computer for a moment. Abby had said earlier, Jess wans't one to leave without someone knowing. "Did you get a chance to talk to Matt?"

"_No. I couldn't find all day. And every time I called his phone, it goes directly to voicemail."_ Abby explained.

Becker sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Connor?"

"_I have no idea. When we got back, he wasn't a the ADD and I haven't been able to get ahold of him either. And no has seen him."_ Abby continued.

Definitely wrong now.

"Where are you now?" Becker asked.

"_Jess' flat." _Abby answered.

"Alright, wait there, I'm coming over." Becker said. Becker looked at the computer screen. He closed down the footage screen. He moved to close his email when he noticed he had a new message. It was a video message from Jess. The subject was marked **URGENT!**

"Abby you still there?" Becker asked.

"_Yeah, what's up?"_

"I've got a message from Jess." Becker said.

"_What do you mean?"_ Abby asked.

"An email. She sent it last night." Becker answered. He clicked on the email and waited for the video to load.

Jess face appeared on his computer screen. Becker recognized Jess clothes from the last time he saw her. Her face was full of panic. She looked at the screen, at him.

"_This is Jessica Parker to Captain Hilary Becker. If you're watching this, then something's happened to me. Since Emily's rescue, I've been doing some digging on Phillip and Prospero, and I've completed the decoding on it. What I've found is disturbing and dangerous. This goes beyond Project 'New Dawn', this goes to Emily too. I've downloaded all the information onto a flash drive. If Phillip finds this, then the future Matt's trying to stop will happen. Becker, you have to get this to Matt. He needs to see this in order to stop them. I know it's hard for you trust me now after what happened, but if there was ever a time to start trusting me again, now would be it. I can't get this to Matt on my own. I need your help. I really need your help, Becker. You need you get rid of your phones, black boxes, anything Burton can use to track you. I don't know if I'll be able to hide this from Phillip, but I have an idea. I know this isn't making sense, but once you're in a secure location, read the data on the drive. Just think like me. It's up to you guys now. Good luck Becker. Hopefully I'll see you when this is all over."_ Jess smiled one last time and stopped the video.

Becker leaned his head in his hand. Jess had known. She'd known all along what this was about. That was why she was missing. No doubt due to Phillip.

"_Becker?"_ Abby called.

Becker regained his composure. "Abby listen to me. Wherever you are, leave. Leave calmly and tell no one. Do not take your phone, black box, or anything they can use to track you. Not even your car."

"_What's going on?"_ Abby asked.

"I can't explain it. Get Connor's laptop and meet me the last place we all met. You know where, right?" Becker said.

"_Yeah, I do. I'll see you there."_ Abby said.

"Right." Becker hung up his phone. He quickly turned off his phone and dropped it back onto the desk. He burst from his chair and clipped the black box from his belt. He grabbed his jacket and jogged toward the door.

Just as Becker reached the door, he paused. Jess had said something about a drive. But he'd never found any drive. How was he and Abby supposed to help when they had no idea what Jess was talking about.

_Just think like me._ Jess' words echoed through his head. The chocolate! Becker reached into in coat pocket and retrieved the pocket sized candy. He'd stuffed it into his pocket on his way out of the facility earlier that day. He looked at the wrapper. Along the seams, it had been re-glued. Becker ripped open the wrapper. Inside was a bright pink flash drive. Becker smirked, shaking his head. "Jessica Parker, you are truly brilliant."

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_July nineteenth two thousand and twelve_

_Tonight I write as I once did in my own time. I write by means of candlelight. It is not safe to write by way of lamps, as a gateway opened on the premises today. As expected, members of the ARC journeyed here to investigate. I do not know what the outcome of their trip was, but I am aware that there are black clad military men still on the premises. I journeyed from the cellar only once to retrieve this candle._

_Matt neither called, nor investigated today. My worry for him grows larger, now that an anomaly has opened. In all that he has told me to abide by during my stay here, never once did it cross my mind that an anomaly could open here. I fear that Matthew did not think of this event either. What concerns me more, is that he would have returned. I know his character. He would not risk my remaining here whilst an anomaly could reopen. I fear something terrible has happened to him._

_Please let my fears be nothing more than wrong._


	9. Chapter 9

Becker was leaning over the railing, watching the ground below. He'd arrived to the old facility minutes ago. Waiting for Abby was nerve wracking. After everything that had happened during the day and the information Jess was leaving with them, they had no time to waste, nor time to get caught.

Abby jogged into the control room. She immediately looked up and exhaled deeply. She carried Connor's laptop in her arms. Abby jogged to the ramp and ran up to Becker. "What's going on?"

"She knew." Becker said.

"What?"

"Jess knew all along what was going on. That's why she's missing. Whatever Phillips planning is happening now, and without Matt to help us-"

"The future will happen." Abby finished.

Becker nodded.

"So what do we do?" Abby asked.

"Keep it from happening. We still have the data Jess downloaded from Prospero. With any luck we can use it to stop Phillip." Becker explained.

Abby nodded. She opened Connor's laptop and turned it on. Becker passed her the flash drive. Abby inserted the flash drive into the computer and brought up the data.

"Becker, the data in here covers a project of Prospero's called 'New Dawn'." Abby said.

"What does it do?" Becker asked.

"Apparently it's meant to be a form of green energy…that's harvested by the anomalies." Abby explained.

Becker looked at the computer. "That's impossible."

Abby shook her head. "Not if he has Connor working on it. I recognize some of his equations from his lab. This is what he's had Connor working on for the past few months."

"Is there any way we can stop it?" Becker asked.

"Shut down the anomaly would be my guess. But if I'm reading this right, and I would like to think I am, Phillip will have the only control over the anomaly. The sealing devices won't work on it." Abby explained.

"Does it have the coordinates for the site?" Becker asked.

Abby nodded. "Yeah it…"

"What?"

"Becker we were there today. In the field. That's the main site of New Dawn." Abby explained.

"Damnit." Becker cursed. "It was Phillip the entire time."

"Becker there's more. That site is the exact place where Matt sent Emily." Abby continued.

"How do you know?"

"Because Jess sent a copy of Emily's coordinates as well." Abby answered.

Becker shook his head. "He'll take Emily out with 'New Dawn'. That's why he chose the site. He must've tracked Matt or Jess there."

"What do we do?" Abby asked.

"Stop him." Becker answered. "is there any more information about the project? Tests, execution dates?"

Abby typed. "Looks like the execution date's schedules for next week."

Becker shook his head. "Phillip won't keep to the schedule if he knows Jess hacked his system. He'll move it up. My guess is, he's already started, which puts us at a disadvantage."

"So what's the plan?" Abby asked.

"We head to the site. If anything, we can get Emily out before Phillip executes the project." Becker said.

* * *

><p>Connor woke with his head searing in pain. He groaned, placing his hand on his head. He opened his eyes. A bright light shined down on his face, causing him to close his eyes suddenly. Connor groaned.<p>

"Are you alright?"

"Jess?" Connor asked. He opened an eye. This time the light was to the side. He could make out Jess' face from the low lighting. Across from Jess was Matt.

"How're you feelin?" Matt asked.

"Like I got trampled by a mammoth." Connor answered.

"Two shots from an EMD will that." Matt said.

Connor groaned again. "Ow."

"Connor, focus. We have serious problem." Jess said.

"Phillip's put 'New Dawn' ahead of schedule." Matt said.

Connor shot up, amplifying the pain in his body. He shook it off. "What? No, no, no. He-he can't do that."

"Connor he's going to do it, today." Jess replied.

Connor shook his head. "That's not. If he activates the project now everything will go wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked.

"The plan was to use the energy created by a single anomaly was supposed to be a new energy source. But I miscalculated the output of energy. If Phillip activates the device and creates the anomaly, it'll overload the device and the anomaly won't be able to be locked of shut down." Connor explained.

Matt shook his head. "Damnit! How the hell are we supposed to stop him?"

"We can't." Jess answered.

Matt rose from the ground and slammed his fist into the wall.

"Where the hell are we anyways?" Connor asked.

"We don't know exactly. But it's basically a maze in here." Jess answered.

Connor closed his eyes. "Oh god we're inside 'New Dawn'"

Matt turned around. "What?"

"This room is new Dawn?"

"No, this entire warehouse is New Dawn. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner. This room is just the conductor chamber." Connor explained.

"Please tell me you're joking." Jess begged.

"I don't think he is Jess.' Matt answered. He grabbed Connor's arm and heaved him up to his feet. "So what do we do?"

"Once the device is powered up, the energy will run through these walls for distribution. If we don't touch the walls, we should be fine." Connor explained.

Matt nodded. "And how do we get out of here?"

"Well…there is one way I can think of." Connor said.

"And that is?"

"When the device is activated, the anomaly will open. What I was doing before someone shot me was fix a glitch in the calculations. As it is, if the anomaly opens here, a second one will open somewhere outside this area. The two anomalies are linked together, that's why they both closed simultaneously. If we slip through the one here-"

"We'll come out on the other side." Matt finished.

Connor nodded. "Exactly."

"Which happens to be where Emily is." Jess said.

Connor turned to Jess. "What?"

"Those coordinates of the secondary anomaly are where Emily has been living for the past six weeks." Jess explained.

"Oh god." Connor gasped.

Matt looked at his watch. "Alright, we've got four hours until dawn. Let's try to get to the center of this thing before the anomaly opens."

* * *

><p>The sun was just starting to rise as Becker and Abby pulled up to the coordinates. Becker slammed on the breaks several meters from the house. He killed the engine and climbed out of the car. Abby threw open her door and jogged to the house. Becker moved quickly behind her. He glanced around, checking the security of the area.<p>

Abby grabbed the knob and threw open the door. "Emily!"

Abby took one step through the threshold and stopped. Becker came behind her and froze. Inside the cottage, stood at least a dozen armed men. Each soldier carried live weapons and ammunition rounds. The men held their guns raised, aiming at Becker and Abby. In the center of the armed men stood Phillip.

"I wondered how quickly the two of you would arrive. And you certainly did not disappoint." Phillip said.

"Where's Emily?" Abby asked.

"I don't know. My men have searched this entire house and the surrounding area, she hasn't been found." Phillip answered.

"Guess not everything is going as you planned." Abby said.

"Disarm and detain them." Phillip ordered. He walked toward them slowly. "I want them to see history being made."

* * *

><p>From beneath the ground, Emily heard the front door burst open. She heard Abby's panicked voice, but remained silent. Hours ago, Burton and his men had entered the house and searched for her. By some miracle, they hadn't found the cellar door.<p>

Emily carefully pushed on the cellar door above her head. She lifted it enough to see into the room. The boots of Phillips armed guards stood not a few feet from the door. Emily looked beyond the guards toward Abby and Becker. She titled her head to look up at them and caught Becker looking at her. He quickly took his eyes from her, back up to Phillip. Emily caught his hand moving, waving slightly toward the ground.

"Where's Emily?" she heard Abby ask.

"I don't know. My men have searched this entire house and the surrounding area, she hasn't been found." Phillip answered.

Emily bit her lip and lowered herself back into the cellar. She waited in silence, listening to the conversation above her.

"Disarm and detain them." Phillip ordered. Emily heard footsteps moving from the cellar. "I want them to see history being made."

There was a rush of footsteps toward the front door. Emily waited, listening to the shuffling of boots and the slamming of the door. Emily rested her head against the cellar door. There was no doubt in her mind now that Phillip was putting his plan into action, and Matt had no way of helping her out of this. If she stayed in the cellar, Phillip would no doubt win. But if she moved out to help the others, there was a chance she'd be caught, or they would stop Phillip. Emily closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip. She pushed up the cellar door.

* * *

><p>Phillip stood in the center of the field, facing the forest line. Burton's men were spread out across the field, holding security positions. Becker and Abby were tied, and seated beside the trucks. Abby twisted her wrists in the rope, trying to free herself. Becker sat calmly beside her, watching Phillip.<p>

"Leave 'em. You're only wasting your strength." Becker said.

Abby looked to him. "How can you do nothing?"

"Because we have an advantage Burton doesn't." Becker replied. He turned and looked to the car.

Abby turned to look back, but Becker caught her attention forward.

Phillip was looking at them. In his hands he held a small device, one that Abby had seen before. The top portion of the device was crystal blue colored. The base was grey and wide enough to use two hands. "You are about to witness the start of a New Dawn."

He turned back to the field. He raised the device. He pressed a combination of buttons. Suddenly an anomaly opened in the field. The glow from the anomaly overtook the remaining darkness around them.

"Now what?" Abby asked.

"We move." Becker answered.

Abby turned. Suddenly she felt her binds loosen. Abby looked behind her. Emily was beneath the truck. She slipped her knife back into her boots. Abby crawled beneath the truck to the other side. Becker followed her. They slipped to the opposite end of the car, away from Phillip. Becker quickly opened the door and climbed into the car. He grabbed the only remaining EMD from the car and dropped it to Abby. Becker climbed back out of the car and dropped with them.

"Where are the others?" Emily asked.

"We don't know." Abby asked.

"Abby, take Emily and get out of here." Becker ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere." Emily replied.

"These are live rounds, not EMD's." Becker explained.

"And you can't stop them all on your own." Emily stated.

"Emily, Matt brought you here to keep you **out** of danger. We can't let you put yourself **into** danger." Abby explained.

"I know, but Matt's not here to stop Phillip, we are." Emily said. "Besides, I have an idea. All I need are the keys."

Becker glanced to Abby. "God help us."

Suddenly one of the guards screamed. They looked beneath the truck out at the field. The men were staggering from the anomaly. Phillip was fast ahead of them. A predator dragged one of the guards towards the anomaly. The man thrashed about, screaming hysterically.

"Get in the truck!" Becker ordered. He stood up and pulled opened the door. He hauled Abby and Jess onto their feet and into the truck. He climbed into the driver's side and started the engine. Becker threw the truck into reverse and stepped on the gas.

What are they?" Emily asked, looking out the window.

"Not something you want to meet." Becker answered. He turned the wheel of the truck, changing the direction.

Suddenly a predator slammed into the side of the truck. It climbed across the hood and slammed its head through the windshield in front of Becker. It lashed out in the front. Abby grabbed the EMD and fired. The predator shrieked and flew out of the car.

Abby leaned forward. "Becker you alright?"

Becker groaned. His left hand covered a pair of massive lacerations across his chest. Blood seeped through his fingers. "Not entirely."

"Out of the car." Abby ordered. She threw open her door and helped Emily out.

Becker limbed out the car, clutching his chest. "Get back to the house."

Abby took point, watching for predators as they moved toward the house. Emily stayed with Becker, helping him along. All around them, predators were leaping and lashing out at the guards. Phillip has disappeared entirely. They were almost to the house. Emily grabbed the knob of the door.

"Emily!"

Suddenly a massive force collided with her, sending her rolling on the ground. Emily found herself lying on her back, looking up at the creatures. Its jaws were open, ready to tear at her flesh. It moved down toward her in a quick motion. But as it moved, its head jerked to the sign. The creature toppled to the side, off Emily.

Emily glanced at the creature, and then behind her. "Matt."

* * *

><p>The darkness off the warehouse suddenly vanished in a haze of gold light. Connor, Matt, and Jess turned toward the glow. It was in the center of the room, not too far from them. Over the top of the conduction walls, they could make out the top of the anomaly. Their way out.<p>

"Let's go!" Matt ordered.

They broke into a jog through the walls. The silence slowly diminished as a hum echoed through the walls. Matt led the way with Connor behind him. Jess moved behind them, carrying her shoes just to keep up with them.

"The walls are generating the energy! Don't touch 'em!" Connor yelled.

Suddenly a low growl echoed through the warehouse. Jess paused, looking around. She couldn't see anything out of the anomalies light, be she was sure something was out there. She turned, moving to catch up with the others.

Matt turned another corner, coming out just meters from the anomaly. Connor came out behind him. They looked back at the exit, waiting for Jess. But after a few seconds, Jess still hadn't emerged.

"Jess?" Connor called.

No answer.

"Jess!" Matt called. He moved back toward the opening of the walls.

Suddenly Jess came running toward him. "RUN!" Behind her was a lanky creature. Through the darkness corridors, Matt could make out its dark colored body and domed skull. Its projected jaws were open, baring its many razor teeth. Matt felt his heart rate increase.

"Connor go!" Matt ordered. He grabbed Jess' arm and pushed her toward the anomaly.

Connor looked back just as the predator emerged from the corridors. Connor's eyes grew wide and ran through the anomaly. Matt and Jess ran through as the predator leapt at them.

Through the anomaly was not what they had expected. Truth be told, this timeline was the last one Matt and Connor ever wanted to see again. The earth was barren, carrying only the remains of a shattered civilization. Whatever buildings remained were in shambles, and couldn't hold up for much longer.

"Connor?" Jess asked.

Connor shook his head. "I was afraid this would happen."

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"The two anomalies are similar to those two that appeared in the same spot. One opening causes the other to open. Coincidentally, they both lead to this time." Connor explained.

"Which means the corresponding anomaly should be here somewhere." Jess said.

Connor nodded. He pointed off to his left. "Right there."

Matt looked back at the anomaly. "Let's move. That predator could come through any second."

They ran toward the anomaly. Matt took the rear, staying between the others and the predator. As he ran after them, he could hear the gathering of other predators. The one from New Dawn had already emerged through the anomaly, chasing after them.

Suddenly a predator passed through the other anomaly, right in front of Connor. Connor skid to a stop, reaching out to stop Jess. The predator snarled at them, dragging a carcass of a dead guard. His firearm was still strapped to him. Connor moved quickly toward the dead soldier. He grabbed the weapon and slipped it from his arm. The predators snarled and lashed out at Connor, but Connor ducked the blow.

"Matt, live rounds." Connor explained.

"Must be Phillip." Matt said.

"Guys, if the predator came from our side then-"

"Then there's probably more on the other side." Matt said. "Go!"

Connor grabbed Jess' hand and pulled her toward the anomaly. He aimed his weapon out at the predator. He pushed Jess behind them, through the anomaly. He fired several rounds at the predators, taking out several. He waved for Matt as a small company of predators came after them. They both threw themselves into the anomaly.

* * *

><p>Matt's first thoughts as he passed through the second anomaly, was that they were back. His second thought was of the predators making meals out of men. Beside him, Connor was shooting those he could. Matt ran to one of corpse and searched for a secondary weapon. He found one on the man's holster and in his boot.<p>

"Jess!" Matt called. He tossed one of the weapons to Jess. He looked around briefly. He aimed his pistol, taking out a charging predator. Off in the distance, he heard cry.

"Emily!"

Matt turned his head quickly. Emily was lying on the ground just meters from the house. Abby and Becker stood behind her. Looming above Emily was a predator. Matt quickly took aim and fired. The predator jerked and tumbled off Emily. Emily rose and turned her head. Her eyes found him instantly.

"Connor, Jess, let's move!" Matt ordered.

They moved quickly across the field toward the others. Behind them, more predators emerged from the anomaly. Matt shot off several more rounds, only killing two predators. He could hear the shots of a single EMD pistol behind him, taking out another predator.

"We need to seal the anomaly." Abby said.

"We need the control pad." Connor explained.

"Burton still has it." Becker replied.

"Connor get Phillip, we'll deal with the creatures." Matt ordered.

Connor looked to Matt.

"Go!" Connor nodded and ran off.

"Just how do we oral them back through?" Becker asked.

"Doesn't matter. Just disrupt their echolocation." Matt ordered. "Anything loud."

"What about the radio?" Emily asked.

Matt glanced to Emily.

"She's right. We can use the truck radio. Turn up the volume and drive them toward the anomaly." Abby explained.

"There's a second one inside the house." Emily explained.

"We use both and we could send them all through the anomaly. "Jess finished.

Matt nodded. "Abby, you, Jess, and Becker, set up the truck."

Abby nodded.

Matt turned to Emily. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Abby, Becker, and Jess headed to the truck. Abby moved first, keeping the path clear. Becker came up behind Jess. His hand covered his chest, well coated in blood. Abby opened the passenger door. She climbed into the seat and reached for the dashboard. Becker groaned and leaned against the truck. He bent over, breathing heavily. Jess moved beside him, inspecting this wound.<p>

"Oh god, we need to stop the bleeding." Jess said.

"I'm fine." Becker groaned. "Just a scratch."

Jess looked up at him. "Bollocks!"

"We have bigger problems, Jess." Becker said, pushing her from him.

Jess shook her head and rolled her eyes. She lifted her pistol again.

"You any good with that?" Becker asked.

Jess shot off a few, taking down two predators. "My aims not as good as it used to be, but my accuracy hasn't-aah!" Jess was ripped off her feet. She hit the ground hard on her stomach, knocking the pistol from her hand. She grunted as she hit the ground. Jess screamed as she was dragged beneath the truck.

"JESS!" Becker called. He dove for her hand, but missed. He looked under the truck. A predator had Jess by the ankle, dragging her viciously from the car. Jess' arms were outstretched, trying to catch herself on something. Becker grabbed her fallen gun and aimed, but the angle wasn't enough to hit the predator.

Abby turned her head. Her eyes widened see the predator. She turned up the radio and switched station. The radio instantly started blasting an obnoxious rock station. Abby covered her ears and threw herself out of the car.

The predator screeched in pain, releasing Jess' ankle. It leapt from the car, from the noise. The radio screamed through the field. The nearby predators screeched in agony, fleeting from the noise.

Becker moved around the truck and dropped to Jess' side. Jess groaned, pushing herself up right. Becker inspected her ankle. Like his chest, the predator had managed to slice through the layers of skin. Blood seeped from her large cuts around her ankle. Becker carefully lifted Jess to her feet, keeping her weight off her injured ankle. Abby came to her other side and took her other arm. They moved back to the truck, where the echoes of the radio emitted a perimeter of safety.

Jess groaned as she dropped to her knees again.

Becker knelt beside her. "We need to stop the bleeding."

Jess shook her head. "It's just a scratch."

Becker smirked. "Right."

"Where're Matt and Emily?" Abby asked.

Becker looked up. "They're coming."

* * *

><p>Matt opened the door of the house and ushered Emily into the house. They moved into the kitchen with Emily leading the way. The radio remained on the windowsill from the day before. Emily grabbed the radio from the sill.<p>

Suddenly a predator head slammed through the window. It Emily screamed, staggering backwards. The predators snapped its jaws at Emily. It racked its arm through the window, reaching for Emily. Matt pulled her out of the way. He fired twice at the predator, killing it. Emily exhaled deeply.

"Turn it on." Matt ordered.

Emily turned on the radio. She rotated the dial, changing the station. The radio suddenly started releasing an obnoxious noise that resembled the kind of music in the truck. Emily turned it up as loud as it would play. Matt grabbed Emily's arm and moved her toward the door.

Outside, the others already had the truck radio play. The predators were keeping a distance from the truck, some slipping back through the anomaly. Becker and Jess were propped up against the truck. Jess was nursing her dangerously bloody ankle. Abby stood beside them, watching for Predators. Becker looked up to Matt as they rejoined the group.

"Where's Connor?" Matt asked.

"He hasn't come back yet." Abby answered.

"Alright, how many rounds do we have left?" Matt asked.

"Two here." Becker answered.

Matt shook his head. "That makes three between both guns."

"Abby?" Matt asked.

"Half a battery charge left." Abby answered.

"Look!" Jess called.

Matt looked over his shoulder. Connor was running toward them. Matt could make out the device in Connor's hand. Connor moved fast toward the truck, with his weapon strung around his back. Suddenly a predator leapt from the forest line behind Connor, and landed on Connor. Connor stumbled to the ground with the predator on his back. The predator slashed at his back, shredding his shirt. Connor screamed in pain.

"CONNOR!" Abby screamed. She and Matt ran for Connor, firing. The combination of EMD pulses and bullets sent the predator tumbling off Connor. Connor groaned, dragging himself from the predator's corpse. Abby dropped beside Connor.

"Abby we gotta get him to the truck." Matt said. They each took one of Connor's arms and pulled him onto his feet. Connor groaned as the motion seared his already stinging back. They moved fast toward the blaring truck. They eased Connor back onto the ground beside Jess and Becker.

Matt dropped to his knees in front of Connor. "Connor, how do you shut down the anomaly?"

"Matt what are you thinking?" Becker asked.

"I'm shuttin' down the anomaly. Connor can't move without some help and we can't lose any more time."

Connor lifted the device. "I can input the code for the closing sequence. All you have to do is press one button. Unfortunately, you have to be really close to the anomaly."

"How close?" Matt asked.

"Close." Connor answered. He handed Matt he device. "There you go. Just hit the button and the anomaly will close."

Matt took the device and nodded. "Got it."

Emily rose to her feet, still holding the radio. Matt rose and looked at her. "You stay here."

"How do you intend to keep those creatures from attacking you? You can't carry a weapon, the device, and this while you move." Emily pointed out. She stepped around Matt. "We've lost enough time as it is."

Matt groaned and followed Emily. Their pace quickened into a jog toward the anomaly. The predators near them moved back through the anomaly, far from the screaming sounds from the radio. The closer they grew, the fewer and fewer predators stood in their way. They were meters away from the anomaly, close enough where a predator could easily reach through and take one of them if wanted.

Matt held up the device to the anomaly. Movement flashed above them in the corner of Matt's eye. Matt turned his head slightly. He looked up in time to see a predator hanging in the air, coming down toward them. In a split second, Matt set his jaw and pushed Emily from the predator's path as it came down where she'd stood seconds later. The weight of the predator threw Matt onto the ground in front of the anomaly. The force of the collision on the ground jarred his hand, causing him to activate the closing sequence. The predator grabbed Matt's leg, dragging him through the anomaly.

"Matt!" Emily screamed. She threw herself toward Matt, reaching out for him as the anomaly closed in front of her.

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

_July twentieth two thousand and eleven_

_Today I learned the words of an American President. "There is no glory in battle worth the blood it costs." Dwight D. Eisenhower._


End file.
